Association of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway activation with increased immune checkpoint expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.

653 Background: PI3K pathway is a known modulator of anti-tumor immune response and is frequently activated in CRC through genetic alterations such as PTEN loss (PTENloss) and PIK3CA mutations (PIK3CAmut). This study aims to determine the impact of these alterations on immune cell infiltration, priming and activation in early stage CRC patients (pts). Methods: Immune infiltrates and checkpoints were evaluated using quantitative immunohistochemistry (IHC) on primary CRC (N = 59) for both center of tumor (CT) and invasive margin (IM). Pts were evaluated by presence or absence of either PTENloss or PIK3CAmut (collectively termed PI3K pathway alterations). Microsatellite unstable (MSI) and stable (MSS) tumors were analyzed separately. Clinicopathologic data was examined for potential associations with PI3K pathway alterations. Separately, mRNA data (Agilent) was obtained for immune related genes from an internal cohort with PTEN and PIK3CA annotation (N = 73). Results: 59 pts comprised IHC cohort (40 MSS, 19 MSI); 23 pts (39%) had PTENloss or PIK3CAmut. In Agilent cohort, 16 of 73 pts (22%) had PI3K pathway alterations. In MSS CRC, these alterations were more common in CMS1 (p = 0.03), on right side (p = 0.048) and with peritumoral lymphocytes (p = 0.031). MSS pts with PI3K pathway alterations had higher PD1 protein expression (p = 0.04), 2.1 and 2.3 times increased density of CD3+ (p = 0.01) and CD8+ (p = 0.04) cells respectively, and higher Granzyme B protein expression (p = 0.04) in the CT. These pts also had higher PDL1 gene expression (p = 0.046). MSS CRC pts with PIK3CAmut similarly had 2 times more PDL1 protein expression in epithelial cells of the IM (p = 0.01). Alternate checkpoints were also increased in pts with PI3K pathway alterations, including higher protein expression of LAG3 in CT (P = 0.046) and higher gene expression of CTLA4, TIM3, and TIGIT (P < 0.05 for all). Conclusions: PI3K pathway activated MSS CRC is associated with increased immune engagement, but also upregulation of key immune checkpoints in early stage tumors resulting in an ineffective immune response. Combination of PI3K pathway inhibition with immunotherapy merits investigation in this subset of pts.

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Molecular and Clinical Characterization of LAG3 in Breast Cancer Through 2994 Samples

10.21203/rs.3.rs-36422/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Qiang Liu ◽

Yihang Qi ◽

Jie Zhai ◽

Xiangyi Kong ◽

Xiangyu Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Immune Response ◽

Cancer Immunotherapy ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Immune Checkpoints ◽

Cell Populations ◽

Potential Biomarker ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Despite the promising impact of cancer immunotherapy targeting CTLA4 and PD1/PDL1, a large number of cancer patients fail to respond. LAG3 (Lymphocyte Activating 3), also named CD233, is a protein Coding gene served as alternative inhibitory receptors to be targeted in the clinic. The impact of LAG3 on immune cell populations and co-regulation of immune response in breast cancer remained largely unknown. Methods To characterize the role of LAG3 in breast cancer, we investigated transcriptome data and associated clinical information derived from a total of 2994 breast cancer patients. Results We observed that LAG3 was closely correlated with major molecular and clinical characteristics, and was more likely to be enriched in higher malignant subtype, suggesting LAG3 was a potential biomarker of triple-negative breast cancer. Furthermore, we estimated the landscape of relationship between LAG3 and ten types of cell populations in breast cancer. Gene ontology analysis revealed LAG3 were strongly correlated with immune response and inflammatory activities. We investigated the correlation pattern between LAG3 and immune modulators in pan-cancer, especially the synergistic role of LAG3 with other immune checkpoints members in breast cancer. Conclusions LAG3 expression was closely related to malignancy of breast cancer and might serve as a potential biomarker; LAG3 might plays an important role in regulating tumor immune microenvironment, not only T cells, but also other immune cells. More importantly, LAG3 might synergize with CTLA4, PD1/ PDL1 and other immune checkpoints, thereby lending more evidences to combination cancer immunotherapy by targeting LAG3, PD1/PDL1, and CTLA4 together.

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Comprehensive Analysis of the Expression, Prognostic Value and Immune Microenvironment of CMTM Family Members in Ovarian Cancer

10.21203/rs.3.rs-745016/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mengjun Zhang ◽

Yue Yin ◽

Zhenxing Sun ◽

Yuan Liu ◽

Yiru Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Ovarian Cancer ◽

Prognostic Value ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Genetic Alterations ◽

High Expression ◽

Immune Checkpoints ◽

Immune Microenvironment ◽

Protein Levels

Abstract Background: Ovarian cancer (OV) is one of the most common gynecological malignancies worldwide, and its immunotherapy has considerable prospects. Multiple members of the CMTM family were aberrantly expressed in human cancers and controled key malignant biological processes and immune regulation in cancer development. However, little is known about the function of this gene family in ovarian cancer, especially in terms of immunity.Methods: GEPIA, Oncomine, HPA, Kaplan-Meier plotter, cBioPortal, GeneMANIA and TIMER were used to analyze the differential gene expression, prognostic value, genetic alterations and alterations in the immune microenvironment of the CMTM family in patients with ovarian cancer. Importantly, RT-qPCR was used to verify the gene expression of the CMTM family.Results: CMTM1/3/4/6/7/8 showed abnormally high expression at the mRNA and protein levels in OV tissues based on the GEPIA and HPA databases. RT-qPCR showed that CMTM1/6/8 was highly expressed in ovarian cancer cell lines. Survival analysis showed that high expression of CMTM1/2/3/5/8 can lead to a significant reduction in overall survival and progression-free survival. There were many types of genetic alterations in the CMTM family. And CMTM1/2/3/6 had a certain correlation with the changes of immune microenvironment such as immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint expression, which may be the potential mechanism of the CMTM family in ovarian cancer.Conclusion: This study confirmed that the CMTM family has abnormal expression in ovarian cancer and can be used as a biomarker for prognostic evaluation. And the CMTM family may be used as a potential target for immunotherapy based on the suppression of immune checkpoints.

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Comprehensive Analysis of the Expression, Prognostic Value and Immune Microenvironment of Family Members in Ovarian Cancer

10.21203/rs.3.rs-672701/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mengjun Zhang ◽

Yue Yin ◽

Zhenxing Sun ◽

Yuan Liu ◽

Yiru Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Ovarian Cancer ◽

Prognostic Value ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Genetic Alterations ◽

High Expression ◽

Immune Checkpoints ◽

Immune Microenvironment ◽

Protein Levels

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Protein citrullination as a source of cancer neoantigens

Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer ◽

10.1136/jitc-2021-002549 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. e002549

Author(s):

Hiroyuki Katayama ◽

Makoto Kobayashi ◽

Ehsan Irajizad ◽

Alejandro Sevillarno ◽

Nikul Patel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Gene Expression ◽

Immune Response ◽

Protein Expression ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Family Members ◽

Immunohistochemical Analysis ◽

Cancer Cell Lines ◽

Mhc Ii

BackgroundCitrulline post-translational modification of proteins is mediated by protein arginine deiminase (PADI) family members and has been associated with autoimmune diseases. The role of PADI-citrullinome in immune response in cancer has not been evaluated. We hypothesized that PADI-mediated citrullinome is a source of neoantigens in cancer that induces immune response.MethodsProtein expression of PADI family members was evaluated in 196 cancer cell lines by means of indepth proteomic profiling. Gene expression was assessed using messenger RNA data sets from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Immunohistochemical analysis of PADI2 and peptidyl-citrulline was performed using breast cancer tissue sections. Citrullinated 12–34-mer peptides in the putative Major Histocompatibility Complex-II (MHC-II) binding range were profiled in breast cancer cell lines to investigate the relationship between protein citrullination and antigen presentation. We further evaluated immunoglobulin-bound citrullinome by mass spectrometry using 156 patients with breast cancer and 113 cancer-free controls.ResultsProteomic and gene expression analyses revealed PADI2 to be highly expressed in several cancer types including breast cancer. Immunohistochemical analysis of 422 breast tumor tissues revealed increased expression of PADI2 in ER− tumors (p<0.0001); PADI2 protein expression was positively correlated (p<0.0001) with peptidyl-citrulline staining. PADI2 expression exhibited strong positive correlations with a B cell immune signature and with MHC-II-bound citrullinated peptides. Increased circulating citrullinated antigen–antibody complexes occurred among newly diagnosed breast cancer cases relative to controls (p=0.0012).ConclusionsAn immune response associated with citrullinome is a rich source of neoantigens in breast cancer with a potential for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

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A novel gene signature based on five immune checkpoint genes predicts the survival of glioma

Chinese Neurosurgical Journal ◽

10.1186/s41016-020-00220-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Wei Zhang ◽

You Zhai ◽

Guanzhang Li ◽

Tao Jiang

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Central Nervous System ◽

Immune Response ◽

Nervous System ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Gene Signature ◽

Immune Checkpoints ◽

The Novel ◽

The Central Nervous System ◽

Checkpoint Genes

Abstract Background Glioma is the most common and fatal type of nerve neoplasm in the central nervous system. Several biomarkers have been considered for prognosis prediction, which is not accurate enough. We aimed to carry out a gene signature related to the expression of immune checkpoints which was enough for its performance in prediction. Methods Gene expression of immune checkpoints in TGGA database was filtrated. The 5 selected genes underwent verification by COX and Lasso-COX regression. Next, the selected genes were included to build a novel signature for further analysis. Results Patients were sub-grouped into high and low risk according to the novel signature. Immune response, clinicopathologic characters, and survival showed significant differences between those 2 groups. Terms including “naive,” “effector,” and “IL-4” were screened out by GSEA. The results showed strong relevance between the signature and immune response. Conclusions We constructed a gene signature with 5 immune checkpoints. The signature predicted survival effectively. The novel signature performed more functional than previous biomarkers.

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Germline genetic polymorphisms influence tumor gene expression and immune cell infiltration

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1804506115 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 115 (50) ◽

pp. E11701-E11710 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

Yoong Wearn Lim ◽

Haiyin Chen-Harris ◽

Oleg Mayba ◽

Steve Lianoglou ◽

Arthur Wuster ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Cancer Immunotherapy ◽

Genetic Variants ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Response To Therapy ◽

Cell Infiltration ◽

Cancer Type ◽

Immune Cell Infiltration ◽

Durable Response ◽

The Impact

Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as an effective therapy in a variety of cancers. However, a key challenge in the field is that only a subset of patients who receive immunotherapy exhibit durable response. It has been hypothesized that host genetics influences the inherent immune profiles of patients and may underlie their differential response to immunotherapy. Herein, we systematically determined the association of common germline genetic variants with gene expression and immune cell infiltration of the tumor. We identified 64,094 expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) that associated with 18,210 genes (eGenes) across 24 human cancers. Overall, eGenes were enriched for their being involved in immune processes, suggesting that expression of immune genes can be shaped by hereditary genetic variants. We identified the endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 2 (ERAP2) gene as a pan-cancer type eGene whose expression levels stratified overall survival in a subset of patients with bladder cancer receiving anti–PD-L1 (atezolizumab) therapy. Finally, we identified 103 gene signature QTLs (gsQTLs) that were associated with predicted immune cell abundance within the tumor microenvironment. Our findings highlight the impact of germline SNPs on cancer-immune phenotypes and response to therapy; and these analyses provide a resource for integration of germline genetics as a component of personalized cancer immunotherapy.

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Significant correlation between HSPA4 and prognosis and immune regulation in hepatocellular carcinoma

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.12315 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e12315

Author(s):

Bing-Bing Shang ◽

Jun Chen ◽

Zhi-Guo Wang ◽

Hui Liu

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Roc Curve ◽

Immune Regulation ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Genetic Alterations ◽

Cell Infiltration ◽

Immune Checkpoints ◽

Immune Cell Infiltration ◽

Cancer Stage

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an inflammation-associated tumor involved in immune tolerance and evasion in the immune microenvironment. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are involved in the occurrence, progression, and immune regulation of tumors. Therefore, HSPs have been considered potential therapeutic targets. Here, we aimed to elucidate the value of HSP family A (Hsp70) member 4 (HSPA4) in the diagnosis and predicting prognosis of HCC, and its relationship with immune cell infiltration, immune cell biomarkers, and immune checkpoints. Gene mutation, DNA methylation, and the pathway involved in HCC were also analyzed. Methods The gene expression omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases were used to compare HSPA4 expression, and the results were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining of clinical samples. R package was used to analyze the correlation between HSPA4 and cancer stage, and to establish receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of diagnosis, time-dependent survival ROC curve, and a nomogram model. cBioPortal and MethSurv were used to identify genetic alterations and DNA methylation, and their effect on prognosis. The Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) was used to analyze immune cell infiltration, immune cell biomarkers, and immune checkpoints. The STRING database was used to analyze protein–protein interaction network information. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed to investigate the functions of HSPA4 and its functional partner genes. Results Overexpression of HSPA4 was identified in 25 cancers. Overexpression of HSPA4 considerably correlated with cancer stage and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level in HCC. Patients with higher HSPA4 expression showed poorer prognosis. HSPA4 expression can accurately identify tumor from normal tissue (AUC = 0.957). The area under 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival ROCs were above 0.6. The HSPA4 genetic alteration rate was 1.3%. Among the 14 DNA methylation CpG sites, seven were related to the prognosis of HCC. HSPA4 was positively related to immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoints (PD-1 and CTLA-4) in HCC. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed HSPA4 enrichment in antigen processing and presentation together with HSPA8 and HSP90AA1. We verified the value of HSPA4 in the diagnosis and predicting prognosis of HCC. HSPA4 may not only participate in the occurrence and progression but also the immune regulation of HCC. Therefore, HSPA4 can be a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target for HCC.

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INFLUENZA INFLAMMATION BIOMARKERS FEATURES

Journal of microbiology epidemiology immunobiology ◽

10.36233/0372-9311-2018-3-67-73 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 67-73

Author(s):

T. P. Ospelnikova ◽

O. V. Morozova ◽

S. A. Andreeva ◽

E. I. Isaeva ◽

L. V. Kolodyazhnaya ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Immune Response ◽

Influenza Virus ◽

Magnetic Beads ◽

Early Stage ◽

Influenza Infection ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

The Matrix ◽

Polarization Coefficient ◽

Th1 Immune Response

Aim. Analysis of inflammation biomarkers using reverse transcription with real time PCR (RT-PCR-RT) and multiplex immunofluorescent analysis xMAP with magnetic beads for the influenza infection. Materials and methods. Analysis of nasopharyngeal swabs, lymphocytes and blood sera of 10 patients with influenza and 10 donors was performed during the first 2 days of the disease by means of RT-PCR-RT and xMAP using the kit «37-plex» (BioRad). Results.The influenza virus A was revealed in 4 samples, the influenza virus B — in 6 swabs without mixed infections with other respiratory viruses. Analysis of the interferons (IFN) showed IFNα gene expression activation in patients’ lymphocytes but both the detection rate and the concentrations of IFNβ, IFNγ and IFNλ RNA were similar for patients and healthy donors. Among 37 inflammation biomarkers the concentrations of 7 proteins were enhanced including IFNα2, cytokines of TNF family (APRIL and BAFF), their soluble receptors sTNF-R1 and sTNF-R2, protein osteopontin and IL10. The concentrations of the complex of glycoprotein gp130 with the soluble receptor IL6 gp130/sIL-6Rβ and the matrix metalloprotease ММР-1 were reduced in patients’ sera. The polarization coefficient PI=[IL10]/[IFNγ]=0.53 for influenza samples suggested Th1 immune response. Conclusion. At the early stage of the influenza infection IFNα gene expression activation along with the induction of TNF family cytokines (APRIL and BAFF), their receptors (sTNF-R1 and sTNF-R2) and osteopontin as well as the inhibition of the complex gp130/sIL-6Rβ and metalloprotease ММР-1 were shown. Th1 immune response regulated by IL10 resulted in the recovery of the patients without complications.

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TLR2-mediated innate immune priming boosts lung anti-viral immunity

European Respiratory Journal ◽

10.1183/13993003.01584-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 2001584

Author(s):

Jason Girkin ◽

Su-Ling Loo ◽

Camille Esneau ◽

Steven Maltby ◽

Francesca Mercuri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Immune Response ◽

Innate Immunity ◽

Viral Load ◽

Epithelial Cell ◽

Epithelial Cells ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Immune Priming ◽

Tlr2 Activation

Research questionAssessment of whether TLR2 activation boosts the innate immune response to rhinovirus infection, as a treatment strategy for virus-induced respiratory diseases.MethodsWe employed treatment with a novel TLR2 agonist (INNA-X) prior to rhinovirus infection in mice, and INNA-X treatment in differentiated human bronchial epithelial cells derived from asthmatic-donors. We assessed viral load, immune cell recruitment, cytokines, type I and III IFN production, as well as the lung tissue and epithelial cell immune transcriptome.ResultsWe show in vivo, that a single INNA-X treatment induced innate immune priming characterised by low-level IFN-λ, Fas ligand, chemokine expression and airway lymphocyte recruitment. Treatment 7-days before infection significantly reduced lung viral load, increased IFN-β/λ expression and inhibited neutrophilic inflammation. Corticosteroid treatment enhanced the anti-inflammatory effects of INNA-X. Treatment 1-day before infection increased expression of 190 lung tissue immune genes. This tissue gene expression signature was absent with INNA-X treatment 7-days before infection, suggesting an alternate mechanism, potentially via establishment of immune cell-mediated mucosal innate immunity. In vitro, INNA-X treatment induced a priming response defined by upregulated IFN-λ, chemokine and anti-microbial gene expression that preceded an accelerated response to infection enriched for NF-κB-regulated genes and reduced viral loads, even in epithelial cells derived from asthmatic donors with intrinsic delayed anti-viral immune response.ConclusionAirway epithelial cell TLR2 activation induces prolonged innate immune priming, defined by early NF-κB activation, IFN-λ expression and lymphocyte recruitment. This response enhanced anti-viral innate immunity and reduced virus-induced airway inflammation.

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miR-224 targets BTRC and promotes cell migration and invasion in colorectal cancer

3 Biotech ◽

10.1007/s13205-020-02477-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

Author(s):

Qi Zheng ◽

Jane J. Yu ◽

Chenggang Li ◽

Jiali Li ◽

Jiping Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Cell Migration ◽

Protein Expression ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Early Stage ◽

Luciferase Assay ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Cell Migration And Invasion ◽

Normal Tissues ◽

The Impact

AbstractOur study aims to investigate the impact of miR-224 on cell migration and invasion in colorectal cancer (CRC) as well as its molecular mechanisms. The results showed that miR-224 was significantly upregulated in CRC compared to normal tissues via the TCGA database. Overexpression of miR-224 promoted CRC cell migration and invasion, while inhibition of miR-224 demonstrated the opposite result via transwell assays. In addition, we found that BTRC was a target gene of miR-224 through the miRecords database and dual-luciferase assay, while western blot together with RT-qPCR showed that inhibition of miR-224 led to elevated BTRC expression in protein level but not in mRNA level, and also decreased the expression of β-catenin. In reference to the Human Protein Atlas, BTRC protein expression was higher in normal tissues than in CRC tissues. In conclusion, miR-224 regulates its target BTRC protein expression and its related Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Its impact on cell migration and invasion in CRC cells suggested that miR-224 could be a prospective therapeutic target for early-stage non-metastatic CRC.

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