scholarly journals Wnt Inhibition Sensitizes PD-L1 Blockade Therapy by Overcoming Bone Marrow-Derived Myofibroblasts-Mediated Immune Resistance in Tumors

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinglei Huang ◽  
Fuli Li ◽  
Xiaojiao Cheng ◽  
Jianzheng Wang ◽  
Wenhui Zhang ◽  
...  

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) has been recognized as one cause of tumor resistance to immune checkpoint blockade therapy, but the underlying mechanisms still remain elusive. In the present study, a bone marrow-derived CAF (BMF) -rich tumor model is successfully established by subcutaneously mixed inoculation of BMFs and tumor cells into mice and the BMF-mixed tumor xenografts are demonstrated to be resistant to anti-PD-L1 antibody immunotherapy compared to the mere tumor xenografts. In vitro assays via the co-culture system of BMFs and tumor cells indicate that the co-cultured BMFs are induced to overexpress PD-L1, while there is no such a phenomenon in the co-cultured cancer cells. The further knock-out of PD-L1 in BMFs rescues the sensitivity of BMF-mixed tumor xenografts to PD-L1 blockade therapy. Mechanistically, via the microarray assay, we identify that the upregulation of PD-L1 in BMFs stimulated by cancer cells is medicated by the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in BMFs. Moreover, the administration of Wnt/β-catenin signaling inhibitors, including XAV-939 and Wnt-C59, distinctly inhibits the upregulation of PD-L1 expression in the co-cultured BMFs. The further combination administration of XAV-939 significantly potentiates the therapeutic outcome of PD-L1 blockade therapy in BMF-mixed tumors. In summary, our study demonstrates that Wnt inhibition augments PD-L1 blockade efficacy by overcoming BMF-mediated immunotherapy resistance.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Long Gao ◽  
Yuan Liu ◽  
Xiaohong Du ◽  
Sai Ma ◽  
Minmin Ge ◽  
...  

AbstractIt has been recently reported that CD38 expressed on tumor cells of multiple murine and human origins could be upregulated in response to PD-L1 antibody therapy, which led to dysfunction of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T immune cells due to increasing the production of adenosine. However, the role of tumor expressed-CD38 on neoplastic formation and progression remains elusive. In the present study, we aimed to delineate the molecular and biochemical function of the tumor-associated CD38 in lung adenocarcinoma progression. Our clinical data showed that the upregulation of tumor-originated CD38 was correlated with poor survival of lung cancer patients. Using multiple in vitro assays we found that the enzymatic activity of tumor expressed-CD38 facilitated lung cancer cell migration, proliferation, colony formation, and tumor development. Consistently, our in vivo results showed that inhibition of the enzymatic activity or antagonizing the enzymatic product of CD38 resulted in the similar inhibition of tumor proliferation and metastasis as CD38 gene knock-out or mutation. At biochemical level, we further identified that cADPR, the mainly hydrolytic product of CD38, was responsible for inducing the opening of TRPM2 iron channel leading to the influx of intracellular Ca2+ and then led to increasing levels of NRF2 while decreasing expression of KEAP1 in lung cancer cells. These findings suggested that malignant lung cancer cells were capable of using cADPR catalyzed by CD38 to facilitate tumor progression, and blocking the enzymatic activity of CD38 could be represented as an important strategy for preventing tumor progression.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 249
Author(s):  
Ruediger Goess ◽  
Ayse Ceren Mutgan ◽  
Umut Çalışan ◽  
Yusuf Ceyhun Erdoğan ◽  
Lei Ren ◽  
...  

Background: Pancreatic cancer‐associated diabetes mellitus (PC‐DM) is present in most patients with pancreatic cancer, but its pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Therefore, we aimed to characterize tumor infiltration in Langerhans islets in pancreatic cancer and determine its clinical relevance. Methods: Langerhans islet invasion was systematically analyzed in 68 patientswith pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) using histopathological examination and 3D in vitro migration assays were performed to assess chemoattraction of pancreatic cancer cells to isletcells. Results: Langerhans islet invasion was present in all patients. We found four different patterns of islet invasion: (Type I) peri‐insular invasion with tumor cells directly touching the boundary, but not penetrating the islet; (Type II) endo‐insular invasion with tumor cells inside the round islet; (Type III) distorted islet structure with complete loss of the round islet morphology; and (Type IV)adjacent cancer and islet cells with solitary islet cells encountered adjacent to cancer cells. Pancreatic cancer cells did not exhibit any chemoattraction to islet cells in 3D assays in vitro. Further, there was no clinical correlation of islet invasion using the novel Islet Invasion Severity Score (IISS), which includes all invasion patterns with the occurrence of diabetes mellitus. However, Type IV islet invasion was related to worsened overall survival in our cohort. Conclusions: We systematically analyzed, for the first time, islet invasion in human pancreatic cancer. Four different main patterns of islet invasion were identified. Diabetes mellitus was not related to islet invasion. However, moreresearch on this prevailing feature of pancreatic cancer is needed to better understand underlying principles.


Blood ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 1656-1661 ◽  
Author(s):  
EA Copelan ◽  
SC Johnson ◽  
MR Grever ◽  
JF Sheridan ◽  
PJ Tutschka

Abstract Deoxycoformycin in combination with deoxyadenosine was used to purge 6C3HED malignant T cells from murine marrow in vitro. Adenosine deaminase activity of 6C3HED cells was ablated by incubation with 10(- 6) mol/L deoxycoformycin (dCF). During a 12-hour incubation with 10(-6) mol/L dCF and 10(-4) mol/L deoxyadenosine, tumor cells sequentially accumulated dATP, became depleted of NAD followed by ATP, then died. More than 5 logs of 6C3HED cells were killed as measured by survival of mice injected with treated tumor cells. Identical incubation of 5 x 10(6) marrow cells did not interfere with rescue of syngeneic lethally irradiated mice. Long-term survival was demonstrated in 12 of 14 mice that received marrow that had been contaminated with 5% 6C3HED cells, incubated with deoxycoformycin and deoxyadenosine, then used to rescue lethally irradiated mice. This murine model provides information not available from in vitro assays and may be useful in the development of strategies to purge malignant T cells from marrow.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (19) ◽  
pp. 5792
Author(s):  
Tiantian Tan ◽  
Jie Li ◽  
Ruhua Luo ◽  
Rongrong Wang ◽  
Liyan Yin ◽  
...  

Malignant tumors are life-threatening, and chemotherapy is one of the common treatment methods. However, there are often many factors that contribute to the failure of chemotherapy. The multidrug resistance of cancer cells during chemotherapy has been reported, since tumor cells’ sensitivity decreases over time. To overcome these problems, extensive studies have been conducted to reverse drug resistance in tumor cells. Elemene, an extract of the natural drug Curcuma wenyujin, has been found to reverse drug resistance and sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapy. Mechanisms by which elemene reverses tumor resistance include inhibiting the efflux of ATP binding cassette subfamily B member 1(ABCB1) transporter, reducing the transmission of exosomes, inducing apoptosis and autophagy, regulating the expression of key genes and proteins in various signaling pathways, blocking the cell cycle, inhibiting stemness, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and so on. In this paper, the mechanisms of elemene’s reversal of drug resistance are comprehensively reviewed.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (10) ◽  
pp. 3245-3252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anabella L. Moharita ◽  
Marcelo Taborga ◽  
Kelly E. Corcoran ◽  
Margarette Bryan ◽  
Prem S. Patel ◽  
...  

Abstract Breast cancer cells (BCCs) show preference for the bone marrow (BM). An animal model showed 2 populations of BCCs in the BM with regard to their cycling states. An in vitro model of early BC entry into BM showed normal hematopoiesis. Here, we show a critical role for BCC-derived SDF-1α in hematopoietic regulation. The studies used a coculture of BM stroma and BCCs (cell lines and stage II BCCs). Northern blots and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed gradual decreases in SDF-1α production in BCCs as they contact BM stroma, indicating partial microenvironmental effects caused by stroma on the BCCs. SDF-1 knock-down BCCs and increased exogenous SDF-1α prevented contact inhibition between BCCs and BM stroma. Contact inhibition was restored with low SDF-1α levels. Long-term culture-initiating assays with CD34+/CD38–/Lin– showed normal hematopoiesis provided that SDF-1α levels were reduced in BCCs. Gap junctions (connexin-43 [CX-43]) were formed between BCCs and BM stroma, with concomitant interaction between CD34+/CD38–/Lin– and BM stroma but not with the neighboring BCCs. In summary, SDF-1α levels are reduced in BCCs that contact BM stroma. The low levels of SDF-1α in BCCs regulate interactions between BM stroma and hematopoietic progenitors, consequently facilitating normal hematopoiesis.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huazhen Xu ◽  
Tongfei Li ◽  
Chao Wang ◽  
Yan Ma ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) are the most abundant stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment. Turning the TAM against their host tumor cells is an intriguing therapeutic strategy particularly attractive for patients with immunologically “cold” tumors. This concept was mechanistically demonstrated on in vitro human and murine lung cancer cells and their corresponding TAM models through combinatorial use of nanodiamond-doxorubicin conjugates (Nano-DOX) and a PD-L1 blocking agent BMS-1. Nano-DOX are an agent previously proved to be able to stimulate tumor cells’ immunogenicity and thereby reactivate the TAM into the anti-tumor M1 phenotype. Results: Nano-DOX were first shown to stimulate the tumor cells and the TAM to release the cytokine HMGB1 which, regardless of its source, acted through the RAGE/NF-κB pathway to induce PD-L1 in the tumor cells and PD-L1/PD-1 in the TAM. Interestingly, Nano-DOX also induced NF-κB-dependent RAGE expression in the tumor cells and thus reinforced HMGB1’s action thereon. Then, BMS-1 was shown to enhance Nano-DOX-stimulated M1-type activation of TAM both by blocking Nano-DOX-induced PD-L1 in the TAM and by blocking tumor cell PD-L1 ligation with TAM PD-1. The TAM with enhanced M1-type repolarization both killed the tumor cells and suppressed their growth. BMS-1 could also potentiate Nano-DOX’s action to suppress tumor cell growth via blocking of Nano-DOX-induced PD-L1 therein. Finally, Nano-DOX and BMS-1 achieved synergistic therapeutic efficacy against in vivo tumor grafts in a TAM-dependent manner. Conclusions: PD-L1/PD-1 upregulation mediated by autocrine and paracrine activation of the HMGB1/RAGE/NF-κB signaling is a key response of lung cancer cells and their TAM to stress, which can be induced by Nano-DOX. Blockade of Nano-DOX-induced PD-L1, both in the cancer cells and the TAM, achieves enhanced activation of TAM-mediated anti-tumor response.


Author(s):  
Patrick J. Stiff ◽  
Thomas P. U. Wustrow ◽  
Alan R. Koester ◽  
Michael F. Derisi ◽  
Bayard D. Clarkson

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document