Inducing Ectopic T Cell Clusters Using Stromal Vascular Fraction Spheroid-Based Immunotherapy to Enhance Anti-Tumor Immunity

Tertiary Lymphoid Structure in Dental Pulp: The Role in Combating Bacterial Infections

Tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) is associated with various pathologies, including those of cancers and chronic infections. Depending on the organ, multiple factors regulate the formation of TLS. However, the role of TLS in immune response and the molecules that drive its formation remain uncertain. The dental pulp, includes a few immune cells surrounded by rigid mineralized tissue, and opens to the outside through the apical foramen. Owing to this special organization, the dental pulp generates a directional immune response to bacterial infection. Considering this aspect, the dental pulp is an ideal model for comprehensively studying the TLS. In the present study, single-cell RNA sequencing of healthy and inflamed human dental pulp reveals known markers of TLS, including C-C motif chemokine ligand 19 (CCL19), lysosome-associated membrane glycoprotein 3 (LAMP3), CC chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7), and CD86, present in inflamed dental pulp. Compared with the healthy pulp, types and proportions of immune cells increase, along with enhanced cellular communication. Multiple immunofluorescence staining reveals that typical TLS emerges in dental pulp with pulpitis, consistent with the high expression of CC chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3), which may be a key driver of TLS formation. Moreover, TLS is also observed in a mouse model of pulpitis. These findings collectively offer insights into the formation and function of TLS in response to infection.

Tertiary lymphoid structures in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer (OC) is a significant cause of cancer-related mortality in women worldwide. Despite advances in treatment modalities, including surgery and chemotherapy, the overall prognosis for OC patients remains poor, particularly for patients with advanced or recurrent disease. Immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), has revolutionized cancer treatment in various malignancies but has shown limited efficacy in treating OC, which is primarily attributed to the immunologically. Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs), which are ectopic aggregates of immune cells, have emerged as potential mediators of antitumor immunity. This review explores the composition, formation, and induction of tumor associated TLS (TA-TLS) in OC, along with their role and therapeutic implications in disease development and treatment. By elucidating the roles TA-TLSs and their cellular compositions played in OC microenvironment, novel therapeutic targets may be identified to overcome immune suppression and enhance immunotherapy efficacy in ovarian cancer.

Prognostic and therapeutic potential of gene profiles related to tertiary lymphoid structures in colorectal cancer

The role of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in oncology is gaining interest, particularly in colorectal carcinoma, yet a thorough analysis remains elusive. This study pioneered a novel TLS quantification system for prognostic and therapeutic response prediction in colorectal carcinoma, alongside a comprehensive depiction of the TLS landscape. Utilizing single-cell sequencing, we established a TLS score within the Tumor Immune Microenvironment (TIME). Analysis of tertiary lymphoid structure-related genes (TLSRGs) in 1,184 patients with colon adenocarcinoma/rectum adenocarcinoma (COADREAD) from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases led to the identification of two distinct molecular subtypes. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) further segregated these patients into gene subtypes. A TLS score was formulated using gene set variation analysis (GSVA) and its efficacy in predicting immunotherapy outcomes was validated in two independent cohorts. High-scoring patients exhibited a 'hot' immune phenotype, correlating with enhanced immunotherapy efficacy. Key genes in our model, including C5AR1, APOE, CYR1P1, and SPP1, were implicated in COADREAD cell proliferation, invasion, and PD-L1 expression. These insights offer a novel approach to colorectal carcinoma treatment, emphasizing TLS targeting as a potential anti-tumor strategy.

Tertiary lymphoid structures in diseases: immune mechanisms and therapeutic advances

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are defined as lymphoid aggregates formed in non-hematopoietic organs under pathological conditions. Similar to secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs), the formation of TLSs relies on the interaction between lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) cells and lymphoid tissue organizer (LTo) cells, involving multiple cytokines. Heterogeneity is a distinguishing feature of TLSs, which may lead to differences in their functions. Growing evidence suggests that TLSs are associated with various diseases, such as cancers, autoimmune diseases, transplant rejection, chronic inflammation, infection, and even ageing. However, the detailed mechanisms behind these clinical associations are not yet fully understood. The mechanisms by which TLS maturation and localization affect immune function are also unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the understanding of TLS development and function at the cellular and molecular level, which may allow us to utilize them to improve the immune microenvironment. In this review, we delve into the composition, formation mechanism, associations with diseases, and potential therapeutic applications of TLSs. Furthermore, we discuss the therapeutic implications of TLSs, such as their role as markers of therapeutic response and prognosis. Finally, we summarize various methods for detecting and targeting TLSs. Overall, we provide a comprehensive understanding of TLSs and aim to develop more effective therapeutic strategies.

Tertiary lymphoid structures: new immunotherapy biomarker

Immunotherapy shows substantial advancement in cancer and is becoming widely used in clinical practice. A variety of biomarkers have been proposed to predict the efficacy of immunotherapy, but most of them have low predictive ability. Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs), the aggregation of multiple lymphocytes, have been found to exist in various tumor tissues. TLSs have been shown to correlate with patient prognosis and immunotherapy response. This review summarizes the characteristics of TLSs and the inducing factors of TLS formation, presents available evidence on the role of TLSs in predicting immunotherapy response in different cancers, and lastly emphasizes their predictive potential for neoadjuvant immunotherapy efficacy.

Fibril-Guided Three-Dimensional Assembly of Human Fibroblastic Reticular Cells

Fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) are stromal cells (SCs) that can be isolated from lymph node (LN) biopsies. Studies have shown that these nonhematopoietic cells have the capacity to shape and regulate adaptive immunity and can become a form of personalized cell therapy. Successful translational efforts, however, require the cells to be formulated as injectable units, with their native architecture preserved. The intrinsic reticular organization of FRCs, however, is lost in the monolayer cultures. Organizing FRCs into three-dimensional (3D) clusters would recapitulate their structural and functional attributes. Herein, we report a scaffolding method based on the self-assembling peptide (SAP) EAKII biotinylated at the N-terminus (EAKbt). Cross-linking with avidin transformed the EAKbt fibrils into a dense network of coacervates. The combined forces of fibrillization and bioaffinity interactions in the cross-linked EAKbt likely drove the cells into a cohesive 3D reticula. This facile method of generating clustered FRCs (clFRCs) can be completed within 10 days. In vitro clFRCs attracted the infiltration of T cells and rendered an immunosuppressive milieu in the cocultures. These results demonstrate the potential of clFRCs as a method for stromal cell delivery.

FRC transplantation restores lymph node conduit defects in laminin α4-deficient mice

Fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) play important roles in tolerance by producing laminin α4 (Lama4) and altering lymph node (LN) structure and function. The present study revealed the specific roles of extracellular matrix Lama4 in regulating LN conduits using FRC-specific KO mouse strains. FRC-derived Lama4 maintained conduit fiber integrity, as its depletion altered conduit morphology and structure and reduced homeostatic conduit flow. Lama4 regulated the lymphotoxin β receptor (LTβR) pathway, which is critical for conduit and LN integrity. Depleting LTβR in FRCs further reduced conduits and impaired reticular fibers. Lama4 was indispensable for FRC generation and survival, as FRCs lacking Lama4 displayed reduced proliferation but upregulated senescence and apoptosis. During acute immunization, FRC Lama4 deficiency increased antigen flow through conduits. Importantly, adoptive transfer of WT FRCs to FRC Lama4-deficient mice rescued conduit structure, ameliorated Treg and chemokine distribution, and restored transplant allograft acceptance, which were all impaired by FRC Lama4 depletion. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis of LN stromal cells indicated that the laminin and collagen signaling pathways linked crosstalk among FRC subsets and endothelial cells. This study demonstrated that FRC Lama4 is responsible for maintaining conduits by FRCs and can be harnessed to potentiate FRC-based immunomodulation.

The cellular model for Alzheimer's disease research: PC12 cells

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common age-related neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive decline and irreversible memory impairment. Currently, several studies have failed to fully elucidate AD's cellular and molecular mechanisms. For this purpose, research on related cellular models may propose potential predictive models for the drug development of AD. Therefore, many cells characterized by neuronal properties are widely used to mimic the pathological process of AD, such as PC12, SH-SY5Y, and N2a, especially the PC12 pheochromocytoma cell line. Thus, this review covers the most systematic essay that used PC12 cells to study AD. We depict the cellular source, culture condition, differentiation methods, transfection methods, drugs inducing AD, general approaches (evaluation methods and metrics), and in vitro cellular models used in parallel with PC12 cells.

Protein Kinase Inhibitors as a New Target for Immune System Modulation and Brain Cancer Management

High-grade brain tumors are malignant tumors with poor survival and remain the most difficult tumors to treat. An important contributing factor to the development and progression of brain tumors is their ability to evade the immune system. Several immunotherapeutic strategies including vaccines and checkpoint inhibitors have been studied to improve the effectiveness of the immune system in destroying cancer cells. Recent studies have shown that kinase inhibitors, capable of inhibiting signal transduction cascades that affect cell proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis, have additional immunological effects. In this review, we explain the beneficial therapeutic effects of novel small-molecule kinase inhibitors and explore how, through different mechanisms, they increase the protective antitumor immune response in high-grade brain tumors.