1
|
Hu Z, Guo X, Li Z, Meng Z, Huang S. The neoantigens derived from transposable elements - A hidden treasure for cancer immunotherapy. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2024; 1879:189126. [PMID: 38849060 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2024.189126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 05/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Neoantigen-based therapy is a promising approach that selectively activates the immune system of the host to recognize and eradicate cancer cells. Preliminary clinical trials have validated the feasibility, safety, and immunogenicity of personalized neoantigen-directed vaccines, enhancing their effectiveness and broad applicability in immunotherapy. While many ongoing oncological trials concentrate on neoantigens derived from mutations, these targets do not consistently provoke an immune response in all patients harboring the mutations. Additionally, tumors like ovarian cancer, which have a low tumor mutational burden (TMB), may be less amenable to mutation-based neoantigen therapies. Recent advancements in next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics have uncovered a rich source of neoantigens from non-canonical RNAs associated with transposable elements (TEs). Considering the substantial presence of TEs in the human genome and the proven immunogenicity of TE-derived neoantigens in various tumor types, this review investigates the latest findings on TE-derived neoantigens, examining their clinical implications, challenges, and unique advantages in enhancing tumor immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhixiang Hu
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinyi Guo
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ziteng Li
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiqiang Meng
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Shenglin Huang
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Grundy EE, Shaw LC, Wang L, Powell DJ, Ostrowski M, Jones RB, Cruz CRY, Gordish-Dressman H, Bollard CM, Chiappinelli KB. Limited Immunogenicity of an HLA-A*03:01-restricted Epitope of Erv-k-env in Non-hiv-1 Settings: Implications for Adoptive Cell Therapy in Cancer. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-4432372. [PMID: 38854052 PMCID: PMC11160923 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4432372/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Repetitive elements (REs) are often expressed at higher levels in tumor cells than normal cells, implicating these genomic regions as an untapped pool of tumor-associated antigens. In ovarian cancer (OC), protein from the RE ERV-K is frequently expressed by tumor cells. Here we determined whether the targeting of a previously identified immunogenic epitope in the envelope gene ( env ) of ERV-K resulted in target antigen specificity in non-HIV-1 settings. We found that transducing healthy donor T cells with an ERV-K-Env-specific T cell receptor construct resulted in antigen specificity only when co-cultured with HLA-A*03:01 B lymphoblastoid cells. Furthermore, these transduced T cells were not specific for HLA-A*03:01 + OC cells nor for the cognate peptide in HLA-matched systems from multiple healthy donors. These data suggest that the ERV-K-Env epitope recognized by this T cell receptor is of low immunogenicity and has limited potential as a T cell target for OC.
Collapse
|
3
|
Katsikis PD, Ishii KJ, Schliehe C. Challenges in developing personalized neoantigen cancer vaccines. Nat Rev Immunol 2024; 24:213-227. [PMID: 37783860 DOI: 10.1038/s41577-023-00937-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
The recent success of cancer immunotherapies has highlighted the benefit of harnessing the immune system for cancer treatment. Vaccines have a long history of promoting immunity to pathogens and, consequently, vaccines targeting cancer neoantigens have been championed as a tool to direct and amplify immune responses against tumours while sparing healthy tissue. In recent years, extensive preclinical research and more than one hundred clinical trials have tested different strategies of neoantigen discovery and vaccine formulations. However, despite the enthusiasm for neoantigen vaccines, proof of unequivocal efficacy has remained beyond reach for the majority of clinical trials. In this Review, we focus on the key obstacles pertaining to vaccine design and tumour environment that remain to be overcome in order to unleash the true potential of neoantigen vaccines in cancer therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter D Katsikis
- Department of Immunology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Ken J Ishii
- Division of Vaccine Science, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo (IMSUT), Tokyo, Japan
- International Vaccine Design Center (vDesC), The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo (IMSUT), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Christopher Schliehe
- Department of Immunology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Lanciano S, Philippe C, Sarkar A, Pratella D, Domrane C, Doucet AJ, van Essen D, Saccani S, Ferry L, Defossez PA, Cristofari G. Locus-level L1 DNA methylation profiling reveals the epigenetic and transcriptional interplay between L1s and their integration sites. CELL GENOMICS 2024; 4:100498. [PMID: 38309261 PMCID: PMC10879037 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Long interspersed element 1 (L1) retrotransposons are implicated in human disease and evolution. Their global activity is repressed by DNA methylation, but deciphering the regulation of individual copies has been challenging. Here, we combine short- and long-read sequencing to unveil L1 methylation heterogeneity across cell types, families, and individual loci and elucidate key principles involved. We find that the youngest primate L1 families are specifically hypomethylated in pluripotent stem cells and the placenta but not in most tumors. Locally, intronic L1 methylation is intimately associated with gene transcription. Conversely, the L1 methylation state can propagate to the proximal region up to 300 bp. This phenomenon is accompanied by the binding of specific transcription factors, which drive the expression of L1 and chimeric transcripts. Finally, L1 hypomethylation alone is typically insufficient to trigger L1 expression due to redundant silencing pathways. Our results illuminate the epigenetic and transcriptional interplay between retrotransposons and their host genome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Lanciano
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Claude Philippe
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Arpita Sarkar
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - David Pratella
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Cécilia Domrane
- University Paris Cité, CNRS, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, Paris, France
| | - Aurélien J Doucet
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Dominic van Essen
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Simona Saccani
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Laure Ferry
- University Paris Cité, CNRS, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, Paris, France
| | | | - Gael Cristofari
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wang F, Zhang Z, Mao M, Yang Y, Xu P, Lu S. COSMIC-based mutation database enhances identification efficiency of HLA-I immunopeptidome. J Transl Med 2024; 22:144. [PMID: 38336780 PMCID: PMC10858511 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04821-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neoantigens have emerged as a promising area of focus in tumor immunotherapy, with several established strategies aiming to enhance their identification. Human leukocyte antigen class I molecules (HLA-I), which present intracellular immunopeptides to T cells, provide an ideal source for identifying neoantigens. However, solely relying on a mutation database generated through commonly used whole exome sequencing (WES) for the identification of HLA-I immunopeptides, may result in potential neoantigens being missed due to limitations in sequencing depth and sample quality. METHOD In this study, we constructed and evaluated an extended database for neoantigen identification, based on COSMIC mutation database. This study utilized mass spectrometry-based proteogenomic profiling to identify the HLA-I immunopeptidome enriched from HepG2 cell. HepG2 WES-based and the COSMIC-based mutation database were generated and utilized to identify HepG2-specific mutant immunopeptides. RESULT The results demonstrated that COSMIC-based database identified 5 immunopeptides compared to only 1 mutant peptide identified by HepG2 WES-based database, indicating its effectiveness in identifying mutant immunopeptides. Furthermore, HLA-I affinity of the mutant immunopeptides was evaluated through NetMHCpan and peptide-docking modeling to validate their binding to HLA-I molecules, demonstrating the potential of mutant peptides identified by the COSMIC-based database as neoantigens. CONCLUSION Utilizing the COSMIC-based mutation database is a more efficient strategy for identifying mutant peptides from HLA-I immunopeptidome without significantly increasing the false positive rate. HepG2 specific WES-based database may exclude certain mutant peptides due to WES sequencing depth or sample heterogeneity. The COSMIC-based database can effectively uncover potential neoantigens within the HLA-I immunopeptidomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fangzhou Wang
- Medical School of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), Faculty of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery PLA, 28 Fuxing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Zhenpeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Research Unit of Proteomics and Research and Development of New Drug of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing Proteome Research Center, Institute of Lifeomics, 38 Life Science Park Road, Changping District, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Mingsong Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Research Unit of Proteomics and Research and Development of New Drug of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing Proteome Research Center, Institute of Lifeomics, 38 Life Science Park Road, Changping District, Beijing, 102206, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yudai Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Research Unit of Proteomics and Research and Development of New Drug of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing Proteome Research Center, Institute of Lifeomics, 38 Life Science Park Road, Changping District, Beijing, 102206, China
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ping Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Research Unit of Proteomics and Research and Development of New Drug of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing Proteome Research Center, Institute of Lifeomics, 38 Life Science Park Road, Changping District, Beijing, 102206, China.
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
- School of Medicine, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China.
| | - Shichun Lu
- Medical School of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), Faculty of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery PLA, 28 Fuxing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100853, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Liang Y, Qu X, Shah NM, Wang T. Towards targeting transposable elements for cancer therapy. Nat Rev Cancer 2024; 24:123-140. [PMID: 38228901 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-023-00653-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) represent almost half of the human genome. Historically deemed 'junk DNA', recent technological advancements have stimulated a wave of research into the functional impact of TEs on gene-regulatory networks in evolution and development, as well as in diseases including cancer. The genetic and epigenetic evolution of cancer involves the exploitation of TEs, whereby TEs contribute directly to cancer-specific gene activities. This Review provides a perspective on the role of TEs in cancer as being a 'double-edged sword', both promoting cancer evolution and representing a vulnerability that could be exploited in cancer therapy. We discuss how TEs affect transcriptome regulation and other cellular processes in cancer. We highlight the potential of TEs as therapeutic targets for cancer. We also summarize technical hurdles in the characterization of TEs with genomic assays. Last, we outline open questions and exciting future research avenues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yonghao Liang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Xuan Qu
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Nakul M Shah
- Division of Cancer Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ting Wang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
- Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Xiong Z, Raphael I, Olin M, Okada H, Li X, Kohanbash G. Glioblastoma vaccines: past, present, and opportunities. EBioMedicine 2024; 100:104963. [PMID: 38183840 PMCID: PMC10808938 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most lethal central nervous systems (CNS) tumours in adults. As supplements to standard of care (SOC), various immunotherapies improve the therapeutic effect in other cancers. Among them, tumour vaccines can serve as complementary monotherapy or boost the clinical efficacy with other immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) therapy. Previous studies in GBM therapeutic vaccines have suggested that few neoantigens could be targeted in GBM due to low mutation burden, and single-peptide therapeutic vaccination had limited efficacy in tumour control as monotherapy. Combining diverse antigens, including neoantigens, tumour-associated antigens (TAAs), and pathogen-derived antigens, and optimizing vaccine design or vaccination strategy may help with clinical efficacy improvement. In this review, we discussed current GBM therapeutic vaccine platforms, evaluated and potential antigenic targets, current challenges, and perspective opportunities for efficacy improvement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zujian Xiong
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA; Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, PR China
| | - Itay Raphael
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA
| | - Michael Olin
- Department of Pediatrics, Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Hideho Okada
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Xuejun Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, PR China; Hunan International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Brain Tumor Research, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008 PR China.
| | - Gary Kohanbash
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA; Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Meyer M, Parpoulas C, Barthélémy T, Becker JP, Charoentong P, Lyu Y, Börsig S, Bulbuc N, Tessmer C, Weinacht L, Ibberson D, Schmidt P, Pipkorn R, Eichmüller SB, Steinberger P, Lindner K, Poschke I, Platten M, Fröhling S, Riemer AB, Hassel JC, Roberti MP, Jäger D, Zörnig I, Momburg F. MediMer: a versatile do-it-yourself peptide-receptive MHC class I multimer platform for tumor neoantigen-specific T cell detection. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1294565. [PMID: 38239352 PMCID: PMC10794645 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1294565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Peptide-loaded MHC class I (pMHC-I) multimers have revolutionized our capabilities to monitor disease-associated T cell responses with high sensitivity and specificity. To improve the discovery of T cell receptors (TCR) targeting neoantigens of individual tumor patients with recombinant MHC molecules, we developed a peptide-loadable MHC class I platform termed MediMer. MediMers are based on soluble disulfide-stabilized β2-microglobulin/heavy chain ectodomain single-chain dimers (dsSCD) that can be easily produced in large quantities in eukaryotic cells and tailored to individual patients' HLA allotypes with only little hands-on time. Upon transient expression in CHO-S cells together with ER-targeted BirA biotin ligase, biotinylated dsSCD are purified from the cell supernatant and are ready to use. We show that CHO-produced dsSCD are free of endogenous peptide ligands. Empty dsSCD from more than 30 different HLA-A,B,C allotypes, that were produced and validated so far, can be loaded with synthetic peptides matching the known binding criteria of the respective allotypes, and stored at low temperature without loss of binding activity. We demonstrate the usability of peptide-loaded dsSCD multimers for the detection of human antigen-specific T cells with comparable sensitivities as multimers generated with peptide-tethered β2m-HLA heavy chain single-chain trimers (SCT) and wild-type peptide-MHC-I complexes prior formed in small-scale refolding reactions. Using allotype-specific, fluorophore-labeled competitor peptides, we present a novel dsSCD-based peptide binding assay capable of interrogating large libraries of in silico predicted neoepitope peptides by flow cytometry in a high-throughput and rapid format. We discovered rare T cell populations with specificity for tumor neoepitopes and epitopes from shared tumor-associated antigens in peripheral blood of a melanoma patient including a so far unreported HLA-C*08:02-restricted NY-ESO-1-specific CD8+ T cell population. Two representative TCR of this T cell population, which could be of potential value for a broader spectrum of patients, were identified by dsSCD-guided single-cell sequencing and were validated by cognate pMHC-I multimer staining and functional responses to autologous peptide-pulsed antigen presenting cells. By deploying the technically accessible dsSCD MHC-I MediMer platform, we hope to significantly improve success rates for the discovery of personalized neoepitope-specific TCR in the future by being able to also cover rare HLA allotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marten Meyer
- Antigen Presentation and T/NK Cell Activation Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christina Parpoulas
- Antigen Presentation and T/NK Cell Activation Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Titouan Barthélémy
- Antigen Presentation and T/NK Cell Activation Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jonas P. Becker
- Division of Immunotherapy and Immunoprevention, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) Partner Site Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Pornpimol Charoentong
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- Center for Quantitative Analysis of Molecular and Cellular Biosystems (Bioquant), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Yanhong Lyu
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Selina Börsig
- Antigen Presentation and T/NK Cell Activation Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nadja Bulbuc
- Antigen Presentation and T/NK Cell Activation Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Claudia Tessmer
- Antigen Presentation and T/NK Cell Activation Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lisa Weinacht
- Antigen Presentation and T/NK Cell Activation Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - David Ibberson
- Deep Sequencing Core Facility, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Patrick Schmidt
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- GMP and T Cell Therapy, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | | | - Peter Steinberger
- Division of Immune Receptors and T Cell Activation, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Katharina Lindner
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
- Immune Monitoring Unit, NCT Heidelberg and DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Isabel Poschke
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
- Immune Monitoring Unit, NCT Heidelberg and DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Platten
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
- Immune Monitoring Unit, NCT Heidelberg and DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), DKFZ, Core Center, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim Center for Translational Neuroscience (MCTN), Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- DKFZ Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center, Mannheim, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology, Mainz (HI-TRON Mainz), Mainz, Germany
| | - Stefan Fröhling
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), DKFZ, Core Center, Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Translational Medical Oncology, NCT Heidelberg and DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
- Institute of Human Genetics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Angelika B. Riemer
- Division of Immunotherapy and Immunoprevention, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) Partner Site Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jessica C. Hassel
- Section of DermatoOncology, Department of Dermatology and NCT, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Maria Paula Roberti
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dirk Jäger
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Inka Zörnig
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Frank Momburg
- Antigen Presentation and T/NK Cell Activation Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Dopkins N, Singh B, Michael S, Zhang P, Marston JL, Fei T, Singh M, Feschotte C, Collins N, Bendall ML, Nixon DF. Ribosomal profiling of human endogenous retroviruses in healthy tissues. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:5. [PMID: 38166631 PMCID: PMC10759522 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09909-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are the germline embedded proviral fragments of ancient retroviral infections that make up roughly 8% of the human genome. Our understanding of HERVs in physiology primarily surrounds their non-coding functions, while their protein coding capacity remains virtually uncharacterized. Therefore, we applied the bioinformatic pipeline "hervQuant" to high-resolution ribosomal profiling of healthy tissues to provide a comprehensive overview of translationally active HERVs. We find that HERVs account for 0.1-0.4% of all translation in distinct tissue-specific profiles. Collectively, our study further supports claims that HERVs are actively translated throughout healthy tissues to provide sequences of retroviral origin to the human proteome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Dopkins
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA.
| | - Bhavya Singh
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Stephanie Michael
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Panpan Zhang
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Jez L Marston
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Tongyi Fei
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Manvendra Singh
- Clinical Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, City Campus, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Cedric Feschotte
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Nicholas Collins
- Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Matthew L Bendall
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Douglas F Nixon
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Maeng JH, Jang HJ, Du AY, Tzeng SC, Wang T. Using long-read CAGE sequencing to profile cryptic-promoter-derived transcripts and their contribution to the immunopeptidome. Genome Res 2023; 33:gr.277061.122. [PMID: 38065624 PMCID: PMC10760525 DOI: 10.1101/gr.277061.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024]
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that the noncoding genome can produce unannotated proteins as antigens that induce immune response. One major source of this activity is the aberrant epigenetic reactivation of transposable elements (TEs). In tumors, TEs often provide cryptic or alternate promoters, which can generate transcripts that encode tumor-specific unannotated proteins. Thus, TE-derived transcripts (TE transcripts) have the potential to produce tumor-specific, but recurrent, antigens shared among many tumors. Identification of TE-derived tumor antigens holds the promise to improve cancer immunotherapy approaches; however, current genomics and computational tools are not optimized for their detection. Here we combined CAGE technology with full-length long-read transcriptome sequencing (long-read CAGE, or LRCAGE) and developed a suite of computational tools to significantly improve immunopeptidome detection by incorporating TE and other tumor transcripts into the proteome database. By applying our methods to human lung cancer cell line H1299 data, we show that long-read technology significantly improves mapping of promoters with low mappability scores and that LRCAGE guarantees accurate construction of uncharacterized 5' transcript structure. Augmenting a reference proteome database with newly characterized transcripts enabled us to detect noncanonical antigens from HLA-pulldown LC-MS/MS data. Lastly, we show that epigenetic treatment increased the number of noncanonical antigens, particularly those encoded by TE transcripts, which might expand the pool of targetable antigens for cancers with low mutational burden.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ju Heon Maeng
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
- Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - H Josh Jang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
- Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Alan Y Du
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
- Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Shin-Cheng Tzeng
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
| | - Ting Wang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA;
- Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63108, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Dallmann J, Freitag J, Jung C, Khinvasara K, Merz L, Peters D, Schork M, Beck J. CIMT 2023: report on the 20th Annual Meeting of the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy. IMMUNO-ONCOLOGY TECHNOLOGY 2023; 20:100397. [PMID: 37876518 PMCID: PMC10590812 DOI: 10.1016/j.iotech.2023.100397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
The Association for Cancer Immunotherapy (CIMT) celebrated the 20th anniversary of the CIMT Annual Meeting. CIMT2023 was held 3-5 May 2023 in Mainz, Germany. 1051 academic and clinical professionals from over 30 countries attended the meeting and discussed the latest advances in cancer immunology and immunotherapy research. This report summarizes the highlights of CIMT2023.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J. Dallmann
- Immunotherapies & Preclinical Research, BioNTech SE, Mainz
| | - J. Freitag
- TRON-Translational Oncology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz gGmbH, Mainz, Germany
| | - C. Jung
- BioNTech Cell & Gene Therapies GmbH, Mainz
| | - K. Khinvasara
- TRON-Translational Oncology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz gGmbH, Mainz, Germany
| | - L. Merz
- TRON-Translational Oncology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz gGmbH, Mainz, Germany
| | - D. Peters
- Immunotherapies & Preclinical Research, BioNTech SE, Mainz
| | - M. Schork
- TRON-Translational Oncology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz gGmbH, Mainz, Germany
| | - J.D. Beck
- Immunotherapies & Preclinical Research, BioNTech SE, Mainz
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Tam PLF, Leung D. The Molecular Impacts of Retrotransposons in Development and Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16418. [PMID: 38003607 PMCID: PMC10671454 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Revised: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Retrotransposons are invasive genetic elements that constitute substantial portions of mammalian genomes. They have the potential to influence nearby gene expression through their cis-regulatory sequences, reverse transcription machinery, and the ability to mold higher-order chromatin structures. Due to their multifaceted functions, it is crucial for host fitness to maintain strict regulation of these parasitic sequences to ensure proper growth and development. This review explores how subsets of retrotransposons have undergone evolutionary exaptation to enhance the complexity of mammalian genomes. It also highlights the significance of regulating these elements, drawing on recent studies conducted in human and murine systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Phoebe Lut Fei Tam
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong SAR, China;
| | - Danny Leung
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong SAR, China;
- Center for Epigenomics Research, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong SAR, China
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Goyal A, Bauer J, Hey J, Papageorgiou DN, Stepanova E, Daskalakis M, Scheid J, Dubbelaar M, Klimovich B, Schwarz D, Märklin M, Roerden M, Lin YY, Ma T, Mücke O, Rammensee HG, Lübbert M, Loayza-Puch F, Krijgsveld J, Walz JS, Plass C. DNMT and HDAC inhibition induces immunogenic neoantigens from human endogenous retroviral element-derived transcripts. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6731. [PMID: 37872136 PMCID: PMC10593957 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42417-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies targeting cancer-specific neoantigens have revolutionized the treatment of cancer patients. Recent evidence suggests that epigenetic therapies synergize with immunotherapies, mediated by the de-repression of endogenous retroviral element (ERV)-encoded promoters, and the initiation of transcription. Here, we use deep RNA sequencing from cancer cell lines treated with DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (DNMTi) and/or Histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), to assemble a de novo transcriptome and identify several thousand ERV-derived, treatment-induced novel polyadenylated transcripts (TINPATs). Using immunopeptidomics, we demonstrate the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) presentation of 45 spectra-validated treatment-induced neopeptides (t-neopeptides) arising from TINPATs. We illustrate the potential of the identified t-neopeptides to elicit a T-cell response to effectively target cancer cells. We further verify the presence of t-neopeptides in AML patient samples after in vivo treatment with the DNMT inhibitor Decitabine. Our findings highlight the potential of ERV-derived neoantigens in epigenetic and immune therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashish Goyal
- Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jens Bauer
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University of Tübingen and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Joschka Hey
- Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- German-Israeli Helmholtz Research School in Cancer Biology, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Center for Lung Research, (DZL) partner site Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dimitris N Papageorgiou
- Division of Proteomics of Stem Cells and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ekaterina Stepanova
- Translational Control and Metabolism, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Daskalakis
- Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Hematology and Central Hematology Laboratory, Inselspital, Bern, University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jonas Scheid
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University of Tübingen and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marissa Dubbelaar
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University of Tübingen and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Boris Klimovich
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Dominic Schwarz
- Division of Proteomics of Stem Cells and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Melanie Märklin
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Malte Roerden
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University of Tübingen and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Yu-Yu Lin
- Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tobias Ma
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Oliver Mücke
- Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hans-Georg Rammensee
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Lübbert
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Fabricio Loayza-Puch
- Translational Control and Metabolism, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jeroen Krijgsveld
- Division of Proteomics of Stem Cells and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Juliane S Walz
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University of Tübingen and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Christoph Plass
- Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
- German Center for Lung Research, (DZL) partner site Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Xu B, Li X, Zhang S, Lian M, Huang W, Zhang Y, Wang Y, Huang Z. Pan cancer characterization of genes whose expression has been associated with LINE-1 antisense promoter activity. Mob DNA 2023; 14:13. [PMID: 37723560 PMCID: PMC10506190 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-023-00300-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1 or L1) comprises 17% of the human genome. As the only autonomous and active retrotransposons, L1 may take part in cancer initiation and progression in some ways. The studies of L1 in cancer mainly focus on the impact of L1 insertion into the new genome locus. The L1 5´ untranslated region (UTR) also contains antisense promoter (ASP) activity, generating L1-gene chimeric transcripts to a neighbor exon. Some of these ASP-associated genes have been reported to be overexpressed in cancer and promote cancer cell growth. However, little is known about overall expression patterns and the roles of L1 ASP-associated genes in human cancers. RESULTS L1 ASP-associated genes were frequently dysregulated in cancer and associated with the cell cycle, the PI3K/AKT pathway, and the GTPase signaling pathway. The expression of L1 ASP-associated genes was correlated with tumor patient prognosis. Hub L1 ASP-associated genes CENPU and MCM2 showed a correlation with immune infiltration, clinical T stage, and cancer stemness in pan-cancer. Knockdown of L1 ASP-associated gene LINC00491 resulted in a significant decrease in tumor growth and migration ability. CONCLUSIONS The expression of L1 ASP-associated genes is significantly dysregulated at the pan-cancer level, which is closely related to the tumor microenvironment, progression, and patient prognosis. Hub genes CENPU and MCM2 are expected to be new tumor diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Baohong Xu
- First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xueer Li
- First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Shaoqi Zhang
- First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Meina Lian
- First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Wenbin Huang
- First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yin Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
| | - Yudong Wang
- First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
| | - Zhiquan Huang
- First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Cousu C, Mulot E, De Smet A, Formichetti S, Lecoeuche D, Ren J, Muegge K, Boulard M, Weill JC, Reynaud CA, Storck S. Germinal center output is sustained by HELLS-dependent DNA-methylation-maintenance in B cells. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5695. [PMID: 37709749 PMCID: PMC10502085 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41317-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
HELLS/LSH (Helicase, Lymphoid Specific) is a SNF2-like chromatin remodelling protein involved in DNA methylation. Its loss-of-function in humans causes humoral immunodeficiency, called ICF4 syndrome (Immunodeficiency, Centromeric Instability, Facial anomalies). Here we show by our newly generated B-cell-specific Hells conditional knockout mouse model that HELLS plays a pivotal role in T-dependent B-cell responses. HELLS deficiency induces accelerated decay of germinal center (GC) B cells and impairs the generation of high affinity memory B cells and circulating antibodies. Mutant GC B cells undergo dramatic DNA hypomethylation and massive de-repression of evolutionary recent retrotransposons, which surprisingly does not directly affect their survival. Instead, they prematurely upregulate either memory B cell markers or the transcription factor ATF4, which is driving an mTORC1-dependent metabolic program typical of plasma cells. Treatment of wild type mice with a DNMT1-specific inhibitor phenocopies the accelerated kinetics, thus pointing towards DNA-methylation maintenance by HELLS being a crucial mechanism to fine-tune the GC transcriptional program and enable long-lasting humoral immunity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clara Cousu
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8253, INSERM U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Eléonore Mulot
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8253, INSERM U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Annie De Smet
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8253, INSERM U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Sara Formichetti
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
- Joint PhD degree program, European Molecular Biology Laboratory and Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Damiana Lecoeuche
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8253, INSERM U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Jianke Ren
- Epigenetics Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
- NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation,Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Reproductive Health Drug and Devices, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Kathrin Muegge
- Epigenetics Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Matthieu Boulard
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Jean-Claude Weill
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8253, INSERM U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Claude-Agnès Reynaud
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8253, INSERM U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Sébastien Storck
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8253, INSERM U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, F-75015, Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Naghavian R, Faigle W, Oldrati P, Wang J, Toussaint NC, Qiu Y, Medici G, Wacker M, Freudenmann LK, Bonté PE, Weller M, Regli L, Amigorena S, Rammensee HG, Walz JS, Brugger SD, Mohme M, Zhao Y, Sospedra M, Neidert MC, Martin R. Microbial peptides activate tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in glioblastoma. Nature 2023; 617:807-817. [PMID: 37198490 PMCID: PMC10208956 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06081-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Microbial organisms have key roles in numerous physiological processes in the human body and have recently been shown to modify the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors1,2. Here we aim to address the role of microbial organisms and their potential role in immune reactivity against glioblastoma. We demonstrate that HLA molecules of both glioblastoma tissues and tumour cell lines present bacteria-specific peptides. This finding prompted us to examine whether tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) recognize tumour-derived bacterial peptides. Bacterial peptides eluted from HLA class II molecules are recognized by TILs, albeit very weakly. Using an unbiased antigen discovery approach to probe the specificity of a TIL CD4+ T cell clone, we show that it recognizes a broad spectrum of peptides from pathogenic bacteria, commensal gut microbiota and also glioblastoma-related tumour antigens. These peptides were also strongly stimulatory for bulk TILs and peripheral blood memory cells, which then respond to tumour-derived target peptides. Our data hint at how bacterial pathogens and bacterial gut microbiota can be involved in specific immune recognition of tumour antigens. The unbiased identification of microbial target antigens for TILs holds promise for future personalized tumour vaccination approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Reza Naghavian
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research Section (NIMS), Neurology Clinic, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Cellerys AG, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Wolfgang Faigle
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research Section (NIMS), Neurology Clinic, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Cellerys AG, Schlieren, Switzerland
- Immunity and Cancer, Institut Curie, PSL University, INSERM U932, Paris, France
| | - Pietro Oldrati
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research Section (NIMS), Neurology Clinic, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jian Wang
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research Section (NIMS), Neurology Clinic, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Nora C Toussaint
- NEXUS Personalized Health Technologies, ETH Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yuhan Qiu
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research Section (NIMS), Neurology Clinic, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gioele Medici
- Clinical Neuroscience Center, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marcel Wacker
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University of Tübingen, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), partner site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) 'Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies', University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lena K Freudenmann
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), partner site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) 'Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies', University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Michael Weller
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Luca Regli
- Clinical Neuroscience Center, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Amigorena
- Immunity and Cancer, Institut Curie, PSL University, INSERM U932, Paris, France
| | - Hans-Georg Rammensee
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), partner site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) 'Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies', University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Juliane S Walz
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University of Tübingen, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), partner site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) 'Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies', University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Silvio D Brugger
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Malte Mohme
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Hamburg Eppendorf, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Yingdong Zhao
- Computational and Systems Biology Branch, Biometric Research Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, NCI, NIH, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Mireia Sospedra
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research Section (NIMS), Neurology Clinic, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Cellerys AG, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Marian C Neidert
- Clinical Neuroscience Center, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Roland Martin
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research Section (NIMS), Neurology Clinic, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Cellerys AG, Schlieren, Switzerland.
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Therapeutic Immune Design Unit, Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Dang DD, Rosenblum JS, Shah AH, Zhuang Z, Doucet-O’Hare TT. Epigenetic Regulation in Primary CNS Tumors: An Opportunity to Bridge Old and New WHO Classifications. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:2511. [PMID: 37173979 PMCID: PMC10177493 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15092511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Originally approved in 1979, a specific grading classification for central nervous system (CNS) tumors was devised by the World Health Organization (WHO) in an effort to guide cancer treatment and better understand prognosis. These "blue books" have since undergone several iterations based on tumor location, advancements in histopathology, and most recently, diagnostic molecular pathology in its fifth edition. As new research methods have evolved to elucidate complex molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis, a need to update and integrate these findings into the WHO grading scheme has become apparent. Epigenetic tools represent an area of burgeoning interest that encompasses all non-Mendelian inherited genetic features affecting gene expression, including but not limited to chromatin remodeling complexes, DNA methylation, and histone regulating enzymes. The SWItch/Sucrose non-fermenting (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complex is the largest mammalian family of chromatin remodeling proteins and is estimated to be altered in 20-25% of all human malignancies; however, the ways in which it contributes to tumorigenesis are not fully understood. We recently discovered that CNS tumors with SWI/SNF mutations have revealed an oncogenic role for endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), remnants of exogenous retroviruses that integrated into the germline and are inherited like Mendelian genes, several of which retain open reading frames for proteins whose expression putatively contributes to tumor formation. Herein, we analyzed the latest WHO classification scheme for all CNS tumors with documented SWI/SNF mutations and/or aberrant ERV expression, and we summarize this information to highlight potential research opportunities that could be integrated into the grading scheme to better delineate diagnostic criteria and therapeutic targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Danielle D. Dang
- Neuro-Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jared S. Rosenblum
- Neuro-Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Ashish H. Shah
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Department of Neurosurgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Zhengping Zhuang
- Neuro-Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Tara T. Doucet-O’Hare
- Neuro-Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Abstract
Our defenses against infection rely on the ability of the immune system to distinguish invading pathogens from self. This task is exceptionally challenging, if not seemingly impossible, in the case of retroviruses that have integrated almost seamlessly into the host. This review examines the limits of innate and adaptive immune responses elicited by endogenous retroviruses and other retroelements, the targets of immune recognition, and the consequences for host health and disease. Contrary to theoretical expectation, endogenous retroelements retain substantial immunogenicity, which manifests most profoundly when their epigenetic repression is compromised, contributing to autoinflammatory and autoimmune disease and age-related inflammation. Nevertheless, recent evidence suggests that regulated immune reactivity to endogenous retroelements is integral to immune system development and function, underpinning cancer immunosurveillance, resistance to infection, and responses to the microbiota. Elucidation of the interaction points with endogenous retroelements will therefore deepen our understanding of immune system function and contribution to disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- George Kassiotis
- Retroviral Immunology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom;
- Department of Infectious Disease, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Merlotti A, Sadacca B, Arribas YA, Ngoma M, Burbage M, Goudot C, Houy A, Rocañín-Arjó A, Lalanne A, Seguin-Givelet A, Lefevre M, Heurtebise-Chrétien S, Baudon B, Oliveira G, Loew D, Carrascal M, Wu CJ, Lantz O, Stern MH, Girard N, Waterfall JJ, Amigorena S. Noncanonical splicing junctions between exons and transposable elements represent a source of immunogenic recurrent neo-antigens in patients with lung cancer. Sci Immunol 2023; 8:eabm6359. [PMID: 36735774 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abm6359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Although most characterized tumor antigens are encoded by canonical transcripts (such as differentiation or tumor-testis antigens) or mutations (both driver and passenger mutations), recent results have shown that noncanonical transcripts including long noncoding RNAs and transposable elements (TEs) can also encode tumor-specific neo-antigens. Here, we investigate the presentation and immunogenicity of tumor antigens derived from noncanonical mRNA splicing events between coding exons and TEs. Comparing human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and diverse healthy tissues, we identified a subset of splicing junctions that is both tumor specific and shared across patients. We used HLA-I peptidomics to identify peptides encoded by tumor-specific junctions in primary NSCLC samples and lung tumor cell lines. Recurrent junction-encoded peptides were immunogenic in vitro, and CD8+ T cells specific for junction-encoded epitopes were present in tumors and tumor-draining lymph nodes from patients with NSCLC. We conclude that noncanonical splicing junctions between exons and TEs represent a source of recurrent, immunogenic tumor-specific antigens in patients with NSCLC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonela Merlotti
- Institut Curie, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, INSERM U932, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Benjamin Sadacca
- Institut Curie, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, INSERM U932, 75005 Paris, France
- INSERM U830, PSL Research University, Institute Curie Research Center, Paris, France
- Department of Translational Research, PSL Research University, Institut Curie Research Center, Paris, France
| | - Yago A Arribas
- Institut Curie, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, INSERM U932, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Mercia Ngoma
- Institut Curie, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, INSERM U932, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Marianne Burbage
- Institut Curie, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, INSERM U932, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Christel Goudot
- Institut Curie, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, INSERM U932, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Alexandre Houy
- INSERM U830, PSL Research University, Institute Curie Research Center, Paris, France
| | - Ares Rocañín-Arjó
- Institut Curie, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, INSERM U932, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Ana Lalanne
- Institut Curie, Laboratory of Clinical immunology, 75005 Paris, France
- Institut Curie, CIC-BT1428, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Agathe Seguin-Givelet
- Thoracic Surgery Department, Curie-Montsouris Thorax Institute - Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, Paris, France
- Paris 13 University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculty of Medicine SMBH, Bobigny, France
| | - Marine Lefevre
- Department of Pathology, Institute Mutualiste Montsouris, Paris, France
| | | | - Blandine Baudon
- Institut Curie, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, INSERM U932, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Giacomo Oliveira
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Damarys Loew
- Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse Protéomique, PSL Research University, Paris cedex 05, France
| | - Montserrat Carrascal
- Biological and Environmental Proteomics, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques de Barcelona-CSIC, IDIBAPS, Roselló 161, 6a planta, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Catherine J Wu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Olivier Lantz
- Institut Curie, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, INSERM U932, 75005 Paris, France
- Institut Curie, Laboratory of Clinical immunology, 75005 Paris, France
- Institut Curie, CIC-BT1428, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Marc-Henri Stern
- INSERM U830, PSL Research University, Institute Curie Research Center, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Girard
- Thoracic Surgery Department, Curie-Montsouris Thorax Institute - Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, Paris, France
| | - Joshua J Waterfall
- INSERM U830, PSL Research University, Institute Curie Research Center, Paris, France
- Department of Translational Research, PSL Research University, Institut Curie Research Center, Paris, France
| | - Sebastian Amigorena
- Institut Curie, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, INSERM U932, 75005 Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Arrieta VA, Dmello C, McGrail DJ, Brat DJ, Lee-Chang C, Heimberger AB, Chand D, Stupp R, Sonabend AM. Immune checkpoint blockade in glioblastoma: from tumor heterogeneity to personalized treatment. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e163447. [PMID: 36647828 PMCID: PMC9843050 DOI: 10.1172/jci163447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has revolutionized modern cancer therapy, arousing great interest in the neuro-oncology community. While several reports show that subsets of patients with glioma exhibit durable responses to immunotherapy, the efficacy of this treatment has not been observed for unselected patient populations, preventing its broad clinical implementation for gliomas and glioblastoma (GBM). To exploit the maximum therapeutic potential of ICB for patients with glioma, understanding the different aspects of glioma-related tumor immune responses is of critical importance. In this Review, we discuss contributing factors that distinguish subsets of patients with glioma who may benefit from ICB. Specifically, we discuss (a) the complex interaction between the tumor immune microenvironment and glioma cells as a potential influence on immunotherapy responses; (b) promising biomarkers for responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors; and (c) the potential contributions of peripheral immune cells to therapeutic responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Víctor A. Arrieta
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Program of Combined Studies in Medicine (PECEM), Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Crismita Dmello
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Daniel J. McGrail
- Center for Immunotherapy and Precision Immuno-Oncology and
- Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Daniel J. Brat
- Department of Pathology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Catalina Lee-Chang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Amy B. Heimberger
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Dhan Chand
- Agenus Bio, Lexington, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Roger Stupp
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Adam M. Sonabend
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Endogenous retroelements as alarms for disruptions to cellular homeostasis. Trends Cancer 2023; 9:55-68. [PMID: 36216729 DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2022.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Endogenous retroelements are DNA sequences which can duplicate and move to new locations in the genome. Actively moving endogenous retroelements can be disruptive to the host, and their expression is therefore often repressed. Interestingly, drugs that disrupt the repression of endogenous retroelements show promise for treating cancer. Expressed endogenous retroelements can activate innate immune receptors that activate the antiviral response, potentially leading to the death of cancer cells. We discuss disruptions to cellular processes which can lead to activation of the antiviral state from endogenous retroelements, and present the 'fire alarm hypothesis', where we argue that endogenous retroelements act as alarms for disruptions to these cellular processes. Furthermore, we discuss the properties of endogenous retroelements which make them suitable as alarms.
Collapse
|
22
|
Neoantigen discovery and applications in glioblastoma: An immunotherapy perspective. Cancer Lett 2022; 550:215945. [DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2022.215945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|