Spatial and molecular profiling of the classic Hodgkin lymphoma microenvironment reveals an immunosuppressive mononuclear phagocyte network

Abstract Although a lymph node infiltrated by classic Hodgkin lymphoma is mostly composed of non-neoplastic immune cells, the malignant Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg cells (HRSC) successfully suppress an anti-tumor immune response, to create a cancer-permissive microenvironment. Accordingly, unleashing the dormant immune cells, for example by checkpoint inhibition, has been a central focus of recent therapeutic advances for this disease. Here, we profiled the global immune cell composition of normal and diseased lymph nodes by single-cell RNA sequencing, as a basis for interrogating the immediate vicinity of HRSC, first regionally and then at cellular resolution. Our analyses revealed specific immune cells and functional states associated with HRSC. Most prominently, we discovered a non-random spatial association of immunoregulatory mononuclear phagocytes positioned around HRSC, which express the immune checkpoints PD-L1, TIM-3, and the tryptophan-catabolizing protein IDO1. These findings provide a basis for rational targeting and activation of the anti-tumor immune response in classic Hodgkin lymphoma.

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Subsets of mononuclear phagocytes are enriched in the inflamed colons of patients with IBD

BMC Immunology ◽

10.1186/s12865-019-0322-z ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hong Liu ◽

Suryasarathi Dasgupta ◽

Yu Fu ◽

Brandi Bailey ◽

Christian Roy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dendritic Cells ◽

Disease Severity ◽

Immune Cells ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Treatment Resistance ◽

In Silico Analysis ◽

Cell Types ◽

Mononuclear Phagocyte ◽

Mononuclear Phagocytes

Abstract Background Myeloid cells, especially mononuclear phagocytes, which include monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells (DC), play vital roles in innate immunity, and in the initiation and maintenance of adaptive immunity. While T cell-associated activation pathways and cytokines have been identified and evaluated in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients (Neurath, Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 14:269–78, 1989), the role of mononuclear phagocytes are less understood. Recent reports support the crucial role of DC subsets in the development of acute colitis models (Arimura et al., Mucosal Immunol 10:957–70, 2017), and suggest they may contribute to the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) by inducing Th1/Th2/Th17 responses (Matsuno et al., Inflamm Bowel Dis 23:1524–34, 2017). Results We performed in silico analysis and evaluated the enrichment of immune cells, with a focus on mononuclear phagocytes in IBD patient colonic biopsies. Samples were from different gut locations, with different levels of disease severity, and with treatment response to current therapies. We observe enrichment of monocytes, M1 macrophages, activated DCs (aDCs) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in inflamed tissues from various gut locations. This enrichment correlates with disease severity. Additionally, the same mononuclear phagocytes subsets are among the top enriched cell types in both infliximab and vedolizumab treatment non-responder samples. We further investigated the enrichment of selected DC and monocyte subsets based on gene signatures derived from a DC- and monocyte-focused single cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) study (Villani et al., Science 356:eaah4573, 2017), and verified enrichment in both inflamed tissues and those with treatment resistance. Moreover, we validated an increased mononuclear phagocyte subset abundance in a Dextran Sulphate Sodium (DSS) induced colitis model in C57Bl/6 mice representative of chronic inflammation. Conclusions We conducted an extensive analysis of immune cell populations in IBD patient colonic samples and identified enriched subsets of monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells in inflamed tissues. Understanding how they interact with other immune cells and other cells in the colonic microenvironment such as epithelial and stromal cells will help us to delineate disease pathogenesis.

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A novel scoring system for TIGIT expression in classic Hodgkin lymphoma

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-86655-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ombretta Annibali ◽

Antonella Bianchi ◽

Alba Grifoni ◽

Valeria Tomarchio ◽

Mariantonietta Tafuri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cell ◽

T Lymphocytes ◽

Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Scoring System ◽

Therapeutic Strategies ◽

Immune Checkpoints ◽

Cell Functions ◽

Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Advanced Stages ◽

New Scoring

AbstractClinical use of immune-checkpoints inhibitors (anti PD-1/PD-L1) resulted very effective for the treatment of relapsed/refractory classic Hodgkin Lymphoma (CHL). Recently, T cell Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT) has been recognized as an immune checkpoint receptor able to negatively regulate T cell functions. Herein, we investigated the expression of TIGIT in CHL microenvironment in order to find a potential new target for inhibitor therapy. TIGIT, PD-1 and PD-L1 expression was evaluated in 34 consecutive patients with CHL. TIGIT expression in T lymphocytes surrounding Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells was observed in 19/34 patients (56%), of which 11 (58%) had advanced stages. In 16/19 (84%) cases, TIGIT+ peritumoral T lymphocytes showed also PD-1 expression. All 15 TIGIT− patients had PD-L1 expression in HRS cells (100%) while among 19 TIGIT+ patients, 11 (58%) were PD-L1+ and 8 (42%) were PD-L1−. Using a new scoring system for TIGIT immunoreactivity, all TIGIT+ cases with higher score (4/19) were PD-L1−. Our results confirm co-expression of TIGIT and PD-1 in peritumoral T lymphocytes. Of relevance, we demonstrated a mutually exclusive expression of TIGIT and PD-L1 using new TIGIT scoring system able to identify this immunocheckpoints’ modulation. These results pave the way to new therapeutic strategies for relapsed/refractory CHL.

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Profiles of Peripheral Immune Cells of Uncomplicated COVID-19 Cases with Distinct Viral RNA Shedding Periods

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13030514 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 514

Author(s):

Denise Utami Putri ◽

Cheng-Hui Wang ◽

Po-Chun Tseng ◽

Wen-Sen Lee ◽

Fu-Lun Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Immune Cells ◽

Mononuclear Cells ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Viral Rna ◽

Disease Course ◽

Peripheral Blood Mononuclear ◽

Peripheral Immune Cells ◽

Cell Profile

The heterogeneity of immune response to COVID-19 has been reported to correlate with disease severity and prognosis. While so, how the immune response progress along the period of viral RNA-shedding (VRS), which determines the infectiousness of disease, is yet to be elucidated. We aim to exhaustively evaluate the peripheral immune cells to expose the interplay of the immune system in uncomplicated COVID-19 cases with different VRS periods and dynamic changes of the immune cell profile in the prolonged cases. We prospectively recruited four uncomplicated COVID-19 patients and four healthy controls (HCs) and evaluated the immune cell profile throughout the disease course. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected and submitted to a multi-panel flowcytometric assay. CD19+-B cells were upregulated, while CD4, CD8, and NK cells were downregulated in prolonged VRS patients. Additionally, the pro-inflammatory-Th1 population showed downregulation, followed by improvement along the disease course, while the immunoregulatory cells showed upregulation with subsequent decline. COVID-19 patients with longer VRS expressed an immune profile comparable to those with severe disease, although they remained clinically stable. Further studies of immune signature in a larger cohort are warranted.

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Quantitative Methodologies to Dissect Immune Cell Mechanobiology

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10040851 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 851

Author(s):

Veronika Pfannenstill ◽

Aurélien Barbotin ◽

Huw Colin-York ◽

Marco Fritzsche

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Immune Response ◽

Time Scales ◽

Immune Cells ◽

Cell Mechanics ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Biological Significance ◽

Force Generation ◽

Tissue Microenvironment ◽

And Behavior

Mechanobiology seeks to understand how cells integrate their biomechanics into their function and behavior. Unravelling the mechanisms underlying these mechanobiological processes is particularly important for immune cells in the context of the dynamic and complex tissue microenvironment. However, it remains largely unknown how cellular mechanical force generation and mechanical properties are regulated and integrated by immune cells, primarily due to a profound lack of technologies with sufficient sensitivity to quantify immune cell mechanics. In this review, we discuss the biological significance of mechanics for immune cells across length and time scales, and highlight several experimental methodologies for quantifying the mechanics of immune cells. Finally, we discuss the importance of quantifying the appropriate mechanical readout to accelerate insights into the mechanobiology of the immune response.

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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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Identification of immune-based prostate cancer subtypes using mRNA expression

10.21203/rs.2.23038/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jukun Song ◽

Song He ◽

Wei Wang ◽

Jiaming Su ◽

Dongbo Yuan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

Immune Response ◽

Immune Cells ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Molecular Classification ◽

Cell Types ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Cell Infiltration ◽

Cell Subpopulation ◽

Immune Cell Infiltration

Abstract Background Immune infiltration of Prostate cancer (PCa) was highly related to clinical outcomes. However, previous works failed to elucidate the diversity of different immune cell types that make up the function of the immune response system. The aim of the study was to uncover the composition of TIICs in PCa utilizing the CIBERSORT algorithm and further reveal the molecular characteristics of PCa subtypes. Method In the present work, we employed the CIBERSORT method to evaluate the relative proportions of immune cell profiling in PCa and adjacent samples, normal samples. We analyzed the correlation between immune cell infiltration and clinical information. The tumor-infiltrating immune cells of the TCGA PCa cohort were analyzed for the first time. The fractions of 22 immune cell types were imputed to determine the correlation between each immune cell subpopulation and clinical feature. Three types of molecular classification were identified via R-package of “CancerSubtypes”. The functional enrichment was analyzed in each subtype. The submap and TIDE algorithm were used to predict the clinical response to immune checkpoint blockade, and GDSC was employed to screen chemotherapeutic targets for the potential treatment of PCa. Results In current work, we utilized the CIBERSORT algorithm to assess the relative proportions of immune cell profiling in PCa and adjacent samples, normal samples. We investigated the correlation between immune cell infiltration and clinical data. The tumor-infiltrating immune cells in the TCGA PCa cohort were analyzed. The 22 immune cells were also calculated to determine the correlation between each immune cell subpopulation and survival and response to chemotherapy. Three types of molecular classification were identified. Each subtype has specific molecular and clinical characteristics. Meanwhile, Cluster I is defined as advanced PCa, and is more likely to respond to immunotherapy. Conclusions Our results demonstrated that differences in immune response may be important drivers of PCa progression and response to treatment. The deconvolution algorithm of gene expression microarray data by CIBERSOFT provides useful information about the immune cell composition of PCa patients. In addition, we have found a subtype of immunopositive PCa subtype and will help to explore the reasons for the poor effect of PCa on immunotherapy, and it is expected that immunotherapy will be used to guide the individualized management and treatment of PCa patients.

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The Hippo Pathway: Immunity and Cancer

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers10040094 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 94 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Zaid Taha ◽

Helena Janse van Rensburg ◽

Xiaolong Yang

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Immune Cells ◽

Mammalian Cells ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Hippo Pathway ◽

Tissue Homeostasis ◽

Hippo Signaling ◽

Core Components ◽

The Hippo Pathway ◽

Future Work

Since its discovery, the Hippo pathway has emerged as a central signaling network in mammalian cells. Canonical signaling through the Hippo pathway core components (MST1/2, LATS1/2, YAP and TAZ) is important for development and tissue homeostasis while aberrant signaling through the Hippo pathway has been implicated in multiple pathologies, including cancer. Recent studies have uncovered new roles for the Hippo pathway in immunology. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms by which Hippo signaling in pathogen-infected or neoplastic cells affects the activities of immune cells that respond to these threats. We further discuss how Hippo signaling functions as part of an immune response. Finally, we review how immune cell-intrinsic Hippo signaling modulates the development/function of leukocytes and propose directions for future work.

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The Dual Function of the Fungal Toxin Candidalysin during Candida albicans—Macrophage Interaction and Virulence

Toxins ◽

10.3390/toxins12080469 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 469 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Annika König ◽

Bernhard Hube ◽

Lydia Kasper

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Candida Albicans ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Immune Surveillance ◽

Antimicrobial Activities ◽

Mononuclear Phagocytes ◽

Dual Function ◽

Inflammasome Activation ◽

Dimorphic Fungus ◽

Escape Route

The dimorphic fungus Candida albicans is both a harmless commensal organism on mucosal surfaces and an opportunistic pathogen. Under certain predisposing conditions, the fungus can overgrow the mucosal microbiome and cause both superficial and life-threatening systemic infections after gaining access to the bloodstream. As the first line of defense of the innate immune response, infecting C. albicans cells face macrophages, which mediate the clearance of invading fungi by intracellular killing. However, the fungus has evolved sophisticated strategies to counteract macrophage antimicrobial activities and thus evade immune surveillance. The cytolytic peptide toxin, candidalysin, contributes to this fungal defense machinery by damaging immune cell membranes, providing an escape route from the hostile phagosome environment. Nevertheless, candidalysin also induces NLRP3 inflammasome activation, leading to an increased host-protective pro-inflammatory response in mononuclear phagocytes. Therefore, candidalysin facilitates immune evasion by acting as a classical virulence factor but also contributes to an antifungal immune response, serving as an avirulence factor. In this review, we discuss the role of candidalysin during C. albicans infections, focusing on its implications during C. albicans-macrophage interactions.

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

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2018.36.4_suppl.653 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (4_suppl) ◽

pp. 653-653 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maliha Nusrat ◽

Jason Roszik ◽

Riham Katkhuda ◽

David Menter ◽

Kanwal Pratap Singh Raghav ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Immune Response ◽

Protein Expression ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Early Stage ◽

Pi3k Pathway ◽

Genetic Alterations ◽

Immune Checkpoints ◽

Pik3ca Mutations ◽

The Impact

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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Myeloid Immune Cells CARriying a New Weapon Against Cancer

Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology ◽

10.3389/fcell.2021.784421 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Rodrigo Nalio Ramos ◽

Samuel Campanelli Freitas Couto ◽

Theo Gremen M. Oliveira ◽

Paulo Klinger ◽

Tarcio Teodoro Braga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Therapy ◽

T Cells ◽

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Solid Tumors ◽

Immune Cells ◽

Scientific Community ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Clinical Results ◽

Mononuclear Phagocytes ◽

Soluble Factors

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) engineering for T cells and natural killer cells (NK) are now under clinical evaluation for the treatment of hematologic cancers. Although encouraging clinical results have been reported for hematologic diseases, pre-clinical studies in solid tumors have failed to prove the same effectiveness. Thus, there is a growing interest of the scientific community to find other immune cell candidate to express CAR for the treatment of solid tumors and other diseases. Mononuclear phagocytes may be the most adapted group of cells with potential to overcome the dense barrier imposed by solid tumors. In addition, intrinsic features of these cells, such as migration, phagocytic capability, release of soluble factors and adaptive immunity activation, could be further explored along with gene therapy approaches. Here, we discuss the elements that constitute the tumor microenvironment, the features and advantages of these cell subtypes and the latest studies using CAR-myeloid immune cells in solid tumor models.

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