Membrane tension sensing molecule-FNBP1 is a prognostic biomarker related to immune infiltration in BRCA, LUAD and STAD

Background Formin-binding protein 1/17 (FNBP1/FBP17), as a membrane-bound protein, is wildly expressed in eukaryotic cells and performs a critical role in tumor tumorigenesis and progression. However, the relationship between FNBP1 and immune infiltrating cells, prognostic value in patients still require comprehensive understanding. We purposed to explore the correlations of FNBP1 expression, prognosis and immune infiltration levels in various cancers. Method The expression and survival data of FNBP1 were collected from Oncomine, TIMER, GEPIA, Kaplan–Meier Plotter and PrognoScan databases. Correlations between FNBP1 and immune infiltrates were analyzed in TIMER and GEPIA databases. Results Compared with normal tissues, FNBP1 is significantly differentially expressed in a variety of tumor tissues. FNBP1 has significant and complex effects on the prognosis of kinds of cancers. High-expression was obviously correlated with better prognosis in breast carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma, while worse prognosis in stomach adenocarcinoma. Besides, FNBP1 had a correlation with various immune infiltrating cells and diverse immune gene markers in breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA), lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), and stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD). FNBP1 was also positively correlated with the adjustment of CD8+ cells, T cells, M2 macrophage, neutrophils, monocyte, Th1 cells, T regulatory cells (Treg) and Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). The expression level of FNBP1 is closely positively correlated with the expression level of multiple immune checkpoints in the three cancers. In addition, FNBP1 is significantly positively correlated with the expression levels of a variety of immunosuppressive molecules. Conclusion Our findings reveal FNBP1 can serve as a significant biomarker to influence the prognosis and the immune infiltrating levels in different cancers. The differential expression of FNBP1 might not only contribute to the judgment of metastatic and non-metastatic tumors but also in the immune escape by upregulating the expression of immune checkpoints.

Correlations between P2RX1 Expression and Gastrointestinal Cancers Prognosis and Immune Infiltration Based on Bioinformatics Analysis

This study was conducted to explore the correlations between the expression, methylation, and various clinicopathological factors of purinergic P2X1 receptor (P2RX1) and the prognosis of patients with gastrointestinal tumors. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases were used to analyze the expression of P2RX1 in different types of gastrointestinal cancers. Kaplan-Meier analysis and univariate Cox regression analysis were used to analyze the correlations between P2RX1 expression and the prognosis of various gastrointestinal tumors. Correlations between P2RX1 expression and N6 methyladenine (m6A)-related genes as well as immune checkpoint genes were analyzed by R packages (R version: 4.0.3) based on TCGA database. The association between P2RX1 methylation level and the prognosis of patients with gastrointestinal cancers was analyzed using the MethSurv database. In order to explore the biological functions of P2RX1 in hepatocellular carcinoma, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis were carried out using R software. In order to evaluate the correlations between P2RX1 and tumor immune infiltration, Spearman correlation test was performed. The correlations between P2RX1 expression and immune score as well as immune checkpoint genes were analyzed based on TCGA and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) databases. The expression of P2RX1 was found to be significantly downregulated in gastrointestinal tumors except in cholangiocarcinoma (P < 0.05). High expression of P2RX1 tended to present better prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (P < 0.05). It was noted that cg06475633 of P2RX1 presented a higher methylation level compared with other CpG sites in hepatocellular carcinoma. Overall, six CpGs of P2RX1 were associated with significant prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (P < 0.05). Among all the 20 m6A-related genes, Wilms’ tumor 1-associating protein (WTAP) was the most strongly correlated with P2RX1 in hepatocellular carcinoma. Gene enrichment analysis showed that P2RX1 is widely involved in the proliferation, activation, organization, and differentiation of various immune cells. After investigating the TIMER database, P2RX1 was found to be tightly correlated with immune infiltrating cells in gastrointestinal tumors, especially with dendritic cells. Moreover, P2RX1 was found to be strongly positively associated with programmed cell death 1 (PD1), programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) in hepatocellular carcinoma (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the dual role of P2RX1 in cancers and its involvement in the recruitment as well as regulation of tumor infiltrating cells in gastrointestinal cancers may be appreciated through this study.

Early Adventitial Activation and Proliferation in a Mouse Model of Arteriovenous Stenosis: Opportunities for Intervention

Background: Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) stenosis remains an important cause of AVF maturation failure, for which there are currently no effective therapies. We examined the pattern and phenotype of cellular proliferation at different timepoints in a mouse model characterized by a peri-anastomotic AVF stenosis. Methods: Standard immunohistochemical analyses for cellular proliferation and macrophage infiltration were performed at 2, 7 and 14 d on our validated mouse model of AVF stenosis to study the temporal profile, geographical location and cellular phenotype of proliferating and infiltrating cells in this model. Results: Adventitial proliferation and macrophage infiltration (into the adventitia) began at 2 d, peaked at 7 d and then declined over time. Surprisingly, there was minimal macrophage infiltration or proliferation in the neointimal region at either 7 or 14 d, although endothelial cell proliferation increased rapidly between 2 d and 7 d, and peaked at 14 d. Conclusions: Early and rapid macrophage infiltration and cellular proliferation within the adventitia could play an important role in the downstream pathways of both neointimal hyperplasia and inward or outward remodelling.

Targeting MERTK and AXL in EGFR Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

MERTK and AXL are members of the TAM family of receptor tyrosine kinases and are abnormally expressed in 69% and 93% of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs), respectively. Expression of MERTK and/or AXL provides a survival advantage for NSCLC cells and correlates with lymph node metastasis, drug resistance, and disease progression in patients with NSCLC. The TAM receptors on host tumor infiltrating cells also play important roles in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Thus, MERTK and AXL are attractive biologic targets for NSCLC treatment. Here, we will review physiologic and oncologic roles for MERTK and AXL with an emphasis on the potential to target these kinases in NSCLCs with activating EGFR mutations.

TMOD-14. CONJOINED CLASS I AND II EPITOPES ENHANCE NEOANTIGEN-TARGETED ACTIVE IMMUNOTHERAPY

INTRODUCTION Cancer vaccines involve the administration of tumor-associated antigens into the host to generate anti-tumor T cell responses. Glioblastoma (GBM) is a disease with poor prognosis. GBM has a limited number of immunotherapeutic targets due to low mutational load, and is also highly heterogeneous; targeting a single antigen leads to antigen escape and tumor growth. METHODS VMDK mice were subcutaneously implanted with 750,000 SMA560 cells and on days 1 and 8 post implantation, mice were treated with 15 nmol of the universal helper epitope, P30, conjoined to the MHCI-restricted neoepitopes Odc1MHCI-P30 or Topbp1MHCI-P30. Human CD27 (hCD27) transgenic mice were intracranially implanted with CT2A-Odc1, followed by anti-CD27 and 15 nmol of Odc1MHCI-P30. B16.OVA or B16.F10 tumor cells were intracranially implanted in hCD27 mice and received SIINFEKL-P30 or Trp2-P30 conjoined peptides. Tumor growth, survival, or IFNγ secretion of splenic or tumor-infiltrating cells was assessed. RESULTS Unlike Odc1MHCI mixed with P30, conjoined Odc1MHCI-P30 had equivalent immunogenicity and anti-tumor efficacy to that observed with native long Odc1 peptide. Native long peptide of Topbp1 did not elicit an antitumor response, yet Topbp1MHCI-P30 caused an increase in numbers of IFNγ-secreting splenocytes and a decrease in tumor growth and similar to that seen with Odc1MHCI-P30 . Anti-CD27 treatment significantly increased numbers of IFNγ secreting splenocytes in Odc1MHCI-P30 vaccinated hCD27 mice, and the use of anti-CD27 with Odc1MHCI-P30 achieved long-term survival in 90% of tumor bearing hCD27 mice. Anti-CD27 synergized with SIINFEKL-P30 and Trp2-P30 to significantly improve survival after administration of these peptides. CONCLUSIONS Our work shows that poorly immunogenic neoantigens can be conjoined to P30 and used to generate an anti-tumor response in mouse models of GBM, and anti-tumor responses of conjoined peptides can be enhanced with anti-CD27 treatment. Together, these data demonstrate the efficacy of neoantigen vaccines for the treatment of heterogeneous GBM.

IL-33/ST2 Axis Plays a Protective Effect in Streptococcus pyogenes Infection through Strengthening of the Innate Immunity

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) causes invasive human diseases with the cytokine storm. Interleukin-33 (IL-33)/suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2) axis is known to drive TH2 response, while its effect on GAS infection is unclear. We used an air pouch model to examine the effect of the IL-33/ST2 axis on GAS-induced necrotizing fasciitis. GAS infection induced IL-33 expression in wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice, whereas the IL-33- and ST2-knockout mice had higher mortality rates, more severe skin lesions and higher bacterial loads in the air pouches than those of WT mice after infection. Surveys of infiltrating cells in the air pouch of GAS-infected mice at the early stage found that the number and cell viability of infiltrating cells in both gene knockout mice were lower than those of WT mice. The predominant effector cells in GAS-infected air pouches were neutrophils. Absence of the IL-33/ST2 axis enhanced the expression of inflammatory cytokines, but not TH1 or TH2 cytokines, in the air pouch after infection. Using in vitro assays, we found that the IL-33/ST2 axis not only enhanced neutrophil migration but also strengthened the bactericidal activity of both sera and neutrophils. These results suggest that the IL-33/ST2 axis provided the protective effect on GAS infection through enhancing the innate immunity.

Bioinformatic Analysis of Diagnosis, Targeted Therapeutic Values and Potential Regulatory Network of FOXF1 in Ovarian Cancer

Background: FOXF1 acts a crucial part to tumor initiation and progression. In this study, we aimed to analyzed FOXF1 in ovarian cancer from different databases which showed diagnosis and targeted therapeutic values.Results: The expression of FOXF1 in ovarian cancer tissue was markedly lower than that in normal tissue. Among different tumor subgroups, FOXF1 expression was conspicuously lower in higher grade stage. Additionally, FOXF1 expression and genetic variations were significantly correlated with various immune infiltrating cells. Altogether, 2594 co-expressed genes evidently pertinent to FOXF1. These genes were correlated with cell adhesion, NADH dehydrogenase complex and cytokine binding in results of enrichment analysis. In addition, FOXF1 was associated with gene networks regulated by PRKG1, miR-151, and SRF respectively. CMap analysis screened several potential small molecules for ovarian cancer treatment.Conclusions: FOXF1 has been shown to be a vital biomarker for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer and the immune infiltrating levels. The small molecules screened here supply rationale for new drug development for ovarian cancer.

Matrix metalloproteinases as a possible factor of biological prosthetic

Aim. To identify the expression and possible sources of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) in bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs).Methods. The material for the study was epoxy-treated BHVs (NeoKor Ltd, Kemerovo) obtained during valve re-prosthetics. Cellular infiltration and ECM degradation were assessed by haematoxylin and eosin staining while lipid deposition and calcification were analysed by Oil Red O and Alizarin Red S staining. Сellular typing and detection of MMP-1/-2/-8/-9/-12 and TIMP-1/-2 expression in samples were performed using immunohistochemical staining with antibodies to CD45, CD68, СD3, CD19, myeloperoxidase, and to the corresponding MMPs and TIMPs. Analysis of samples was performed by light microscopy.Results. We examined 7 xenoaortic and 7 xenopericardial BHVs which were removed during re-replacement from the aortic (n = 2) and mitral (n = 12) positions. In studied leaflets from 13 explanted BHVs, sporadic infiltrates consisting of macrophages and neutrophils were revealed. Semi-quantitative analysis showed that more aggressive cellular infiltration is characteristic of xenoaortic BHVs (p = 0.038). MMP-1/-2/-8/-12 and TIMP-1/-2 were weakly expressed and co-localised with infiltrating cells whilst MMP-9 was abundant in the loosened extracellular matrix (ECM) devoid of host cells.Conclusion. The recipient cells infiltrating BHVs are sources of MMP-1/-2/-8/-9/-12 and TIMP-1/-2. In addition, MMP-9 can diffuse into BHVs leaflets from the blood of patients.