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Yano M, Byrd JC, Muthusamy N. Natural Killer Cells in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Functional Impairment and Therapeutic Potential. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14235787. [PMID: 36497266 PMCID: PMC9739887 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14235787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy approaches have advanced rapidly in recent years. While the greatest therapeutic advances so far have been achieved with T cell therapies such as immune checkpoint blockade and CAR-T, recent advances in NK cell therapy have highlighted the therapeutic potential of these cells. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most prevalent form of leukemia in Western countries, is a very immunosuppressive disease but still shows significant potential as a target of immunotherapy, including NK-based therapies. In addition to their antileukemia potential, NK cells are important immune effectors in the response to infections, which represent a major clinical concern for CLL patients. Here, we review the interactions between NK cells and CLL, describing functional changes and mechanisms of CLL-induced NK suppression, interactions with current therapeutic options, and the potential for therapeutic benefit using NK cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Yano
- Medical Science Training Program, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - John C. Byrd
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
- Correspondence: (J.C.B.); (N.M.)
| | - Natarajan Muthusamy
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Correspondence: (J.C.B.); (N.M.)
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Guruprasad P, Lee YG, Kim KH, Ruella M. The current landscape of single-cell transcriptomics for cancer immunotherapy. J Exp Med 2021; 218:e20201574. [PMID: 33601414 PMCID: PMC7754680 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20201574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies such as immune checkpoint blockade and adoptive cell transfer have revolutionized cancer treatment, but further progress is hindered by our limited understanding of tumor resistance mechanisms. Emerging technologies now enable the study of tumors at the single-cell level, providing unprecedented high-resolution insights into the genetic makeup of the tumor microenvironment and immune system that bulk genomics cannot fully capture. Here, we highlight the recent key findings of the use of single-cell RNA sequencing to deconvolute heterogeneous tumors and immune populations during immunotherapy. Single-cell RNA sequencing has identified new crucial factors and cellular subpopulations that either promote tumor progression or leave tumors vulnerable to immunotherapy. We anticipate that the strategic use of single-cell analytics will promote the development of the next generation of successful, rationally designed immunotherapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puneeth Guruprasad
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Yong Gu Lee
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Ki Hyun Kim
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Marco Ruella
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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Lim SA, Kim J, Jeon S, Shin MH, Kwon J, Kim TJ, Im K, Han Y, Kwon W, Kim SW, Yee C, Kim SJ, Jang JY, Lee KM. Defective Localization With Impaired Tumor Cytotoxicity Contributes to the Immune Escape of NK Cells in Pancreatic Cancer Patients. Front Immunol 2019; 10:496. [PMID: 31024520 PMCID: PMC6465515 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), found in patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), are shown to correlate with overall survival (OS) rate. Although majority of TILs consist of CD8+/CD4+ T cells, the presence of NK cells and their role in the pathogenesis of PDAC remains elusive. We performed comprehensive analyses of TIL, PBMC, and autologous tumor cells from 80 enrolled resectable PDAC patients to comprehend the NK cell defects within PDAC. Extremely low frequencies of NK cells (<0.5%) were found within PDAC tumors, which was attributable not to the low expression of tumor chemokines, but to the lack of chemokine receptor, CXCR2. Forced expression of CXCR2 in patients' NK cells rendered them capable of trafficking into PDAC. Furthermore, NK cells exhibited impaired cell-mediated killing of autologous PDAC cells, primarily due to insufficient ligation of NKG2D and DNAM-1, and failed to proliferate within the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. Importantly, these defects could be overcome by ex-vivo stimulation of NK cells from such patients. Importantly, when the proliferative capacity of NK cells in vitro was used to stratify patients on the basis of cell expansion, patients whose NK cells proliferated <250-fold experienced significantly lower DFS and OS than those with ≥250-fold. Ex-vivo activation of NK cells restored tumor trafficking and reactivity, hence provided a therapeutic modality while their fold expansion could be a potentially significant prognostic indicator of OS and DFS in such patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seon Ah Lim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jungwon Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Seunghyun Jeon
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Min Hwa Shin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Joonha Kwon
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Tae-Jin Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Kyungtaek Im
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Youngmin Han
- Department of Surgery and Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Wooil Kwon
- Department of Surgery and Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sun-Whe Kim
- Department of Surgery and Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Cassian Yee
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology and Immunology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Seong-Jin Kim
- Precision Medicine Research Center, Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology, Seoul National University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Jin-Young Jang
- Department of Surgery and Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Kyung-Mi Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.,Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology and Immunology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States.,Center for Bio- Integrated Electronics, Simpson Querrey Institute, Evanston, IL, United States
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4
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Nayyar G, Chu Y, Cairo MS. Overcoming Resistance to Natural Killer Cell Based Immunotherapies for Solid Tumors. Front Oncol 2019; 9:51. [PMID: 30805309 PMCID: PMC6378304 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite advances in the diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, the prognosis of several solid tumor malignancies remains poor. Different factors associated with solid tumors including a varied genetic signature, complex molecular signaling pathways, defective cross talk between the tumor cells and immune cells, hypoxic and immunosuppressive effects of tumor microenvironment result in a treatment resistant and metastatic phenotype. Over the past several years, immunotherapy has emerged as an attractive therapeutic option against multiple malignancies. The unique ability of natural killer (NK) cells to target cancer cells without antigen specificity makes them an ideal candidate for use against solid tumors. However, the outcomes of adoptive NK cell infusions into patients with solid tumors have been disappointing. Extensive studies have been done to investigate different strategies to improve the NK cell function, trafficking and tumor targeting. Use of cytokines and cytokine analogs has been well described and utilized to enhance the proliferation, stimulation and persistence of NK cells. Other techniques like blocking the human leukocyte antigen-killer cell receptors (KIR) interactions with anti-KIR monoclonal antibodies, preventing CD16 receptor shedding, increasing the expression of activating NK cell receptors like NKG2D, and use of immunocytokines and immune checkpoint inhibitors can enhance NK cell mediated cytotoxicity. Using genetically modified NK cells with chimeric antigen receptors and bispecific and trispecific NK cell engagers, NK cells can be effectively redirected to the tumor cells improving their cytotoxic potential. In this review, we have described these strategies and highlighted the need to further optimize these strategies to improve the clinical outcome of NK cell based immunotherapy against solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Nayyar
- Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, United States
| | - Yaya Chu
- Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, United States
| | - Mitchell S Cairo
- Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, United States.,Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, United States.,Department of Microbiology & Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, United States.,Department of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, United States.,Department of Pathology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, United States
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Blomberg OS, Spagnuolo L, de Visser KE. Immune regulation of metastasis: mechanistic insights and therapeutic opportunities. Dis Model Mech 2018; 11:11/10/dmm036236. [PMID: 30355585 PMCID: PMC6215427 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.036236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Metastatic disease is the leading cause of death in cancer patients. Metastasis formation involves a cascade of events for which the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. During the metastatic cascade, cancer cells tightly interact with the immune system and they influence each other, both in the tumor microenvironment and systemically. The crosstalk between cancer and immune cells adds another layer of complexity to our understanding of metastasis formation, but at the same time opens new therapeutic opportunities for cancer patients. The intensifying development of immunotherapeutic strategies calls for a better understanding of immune regulation of metastasis in order to maximize the therapeutic benefit for patients with metastatic disease. In this Review and accompanying poster, we describe the main mechanisms of immune regulation of metastasis that have been reported to date, and present promising immunotherapeutic options that are currently available, or may become so in the near future, to tackle metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga S Blomberg
- Division of Tumor Biology and Immunology, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lorenzo Spagnuolo
- Division of Tumor Biology and Immunology, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Karin E de Visser
- Division of Tumor Biology and Immunology, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Lazăr DC, Avram MF, Romoșan I, Cornianu M, Tăban S, Goldiș A. Prognostic significance of tumor immune microenvironment and immunotherapy: Novel insights and future perspectives in gastric cancer. World J Gastroenterol 2018; 24:3583-3616. [PMID: 30166856 PMCID: PMC6113718 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i32.3583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2018] [Revised: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite a decrease in gastric cancer incidence, the development of novel biologic agents and combined therapeutic strategies, the prognosis of gastric cancer remains poor. Recently, the introduction of modern immunotherapy, especially using immune checkpoint inhibitors, led to an improved prognosis in many cancers. The use of immunotherapy was also associated with manageable adverse event profiles and promising results in the treatment of patients with gastric cancer, especially in heavily pretreated patients. These data have led to an accelerated approval of some checkpoint inhibitors in this setting. Understanding the complex relationship between the host immune microenvironment and tumor and the immune escape phenomenon leading to cancer occurrence and progression will subsequently lead to the identification of prognostic immune markers. Furthermore, this understanding will result in the discovery of both new mechanisms for blocking tumor immunosuppressive signals and pathways to stimulate the local immune response by targeting and modulating different subsets of immune cells. Due to the molecular heterogeneity of gastric cancers associated with different clinico-biologic parameters, immune markers expression and prognosis, novel immunotherapy algorithms should be personalized and addressed to selected subsets of gastric tumors, which have been proven to elicit the best clinical responses. Future perspectives in the treatment of gastric cancer include tailored dual immunotherapies or a combination of immunotherapy with other targeted agents with synergistic antitumor effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Cornelia Lazăr
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Medical Clinic, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babeş”, Timişoara 300041, Timiş County, Romania
| | - Mihaela Flavia Avram
- Department of Surgery X, 1st Surgery Clinic, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babeş”, Timişoara 300041, Timiş County, Romania
| | - Ioan Romoșan
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Medical Clinic, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babeş”, Timişoara 300041, Timiş County, Romania
| | - Mărioara Cornianu
- Department of Pathology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babeş”, Timişoara 300041, Timiş County, Romania
| | - Sorina Tăban
- Department of Pathology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babeş”, Timişoara 300041, Timiş County, Romania
| | - Adrian Goldiș
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babeş”, Timişoara 300041, Timiş County, Romania
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Yao XX, Yin L, Sun ZC. The expression of hTERT mRNA and cellular immunity in gastric cancer and precancerosis. World J Gastroenterol 2002; 8:586-90. [PMID: 12174361 PMCID: PMC4656303 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v8.i4.586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM: To observe the expression of Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) in gastric carcinomas and precancerosis lesions, to evaluate the immune state of such patients, and to then study the clinical significance of hTERT and immune state for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of gastric cancer.
METHODS: In situ hybridization was used to detect the expression of hTERT mRNA in 116 endoscopic of gastric mucosa. Analyzed tissue samples were as follows: 30 cases of chronic superficial gastritis (CSG), 44 of precancerosis lesions (including 27 of chronic atrophic gastritis, 8 of adenomatous polyp and 9 of gastric ulcer) and 42 of gastric cancer (GC). In addition, the T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+) and natural killer cells (NK) in peripheral blood were determined by flow cytometric analysis (FCM) in 30 cases of CSG, 27 of precancerosis (chronic atrophic gastritis, CAG), and 42 of GC. The data were compared with those of normal control (NC).
RESULTS: The detected positive rate of hTERT varied as follows: 86% (36/42) in GC, 36% (16/44) in precancerosis lesions and 0% (0/30) in CSG. The expression of hTERT mRNA was not associated with patient gender, tumor location, macroscopic type, lymph node metastasis, or degree of differentiation. It was found that the CD3+, CD4+ of the CSG group were lower than that of NC (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ ratio) and NK cells of CAG were remarkably lower than that of NC and CSG groups (P < 0.05-0.01). Values of T cells and NK cells of the GC group were significantly abnormal when compared with the CAG group (P < 0.05-0.01). Furthermore, with tumor progression, the function of T cells was weakened gradually.
CONCLUSION: The expression of telomerase may be a crucial step in gastric carcinogenesis and increased hTERT mRNA may serve as a novel marker for diagnosis of GC. The immune state of patients with GC and precancerosis was somewhat depressed, which indicates the importance of cellular immunological assays in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi-Xian Yao
- Department of Digestive Medicine, the 2nd Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei Province, China.
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