PKCα/ZFP64/CSF1 axis resets the tumor microenvironment and fuels anti-PD1 resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma

Identify CTBP1-DT as an immunological biomarker that promotes lipid synthesis and apoptosis resistance in KIRC

Recently, mounting evidence has highlighted the essential function of the C-terminal binding protein-1 divergent transcript (CTBP1-DT) in malignancies. However, its role in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) remains largely unknown. Our study aimed to identify the potential function of CTBP1-DT in KIRC. RT-qPCR, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, Cox regression analysis, and nomogram analysis were utilized to determine the expression and effects of CTBP1-DT on survival. The subcellular localization of CTBP1-DT was determined using RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). To investigate the functions of CTBP1-DT in regulating KIRC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, lipid synthesis, and apoptosis, we conducted CCK8, EdU, Transwell, and Oil Red O staining and cell apoptosis staining assays. The relationships between CTBP1-DT and the tumor microenvironment were investigated with multiple bioinformatics analysis algorithms and databases, including CYBERSORT, TIMER2, Spearman correlation test, tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and immunophenoscore (IPS). According to our results, CTBP1-DT is a lncRNA located in the nucleus that is significantly upregulated in KIRC and is correlated with better clinical outcomes. Downregulating CTBP1-DT inhibited cell viability, migration, invasion, and lipid synthesis but triggered cell apoptosis. Additionally, we explored the potential effect of CTBP1-DT in regulating immune cell infiltration in KIRC and other malignancies. Furthermore, CTBP1-DT could be used to predict the effectiveness of targeted drugs and immune checkpoint inhibitors. In conclusion, we identified CTBP1-DT as a potential immunological biomarker and discovered the potential role of CTBP1-DT in regulating lipid synthesis and apoptosis resistance.

LDHA-mediated M2-type macrophage polarization via tumor-derived exosomal EPHA2 promotes renal cell carcinoma progression

Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) is known to promote the growth and invasion of various types of tumors, affects tumor resistance, and is associated with tumor immune escape. But how LDHA reshapes the tumor microenvironment and promotes the progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains unclear. In this study, we found that LDHA was highly expressed in clear cell RCC (ccRCC), and this high expression was associated with macrophage infiltration, while macrophages were highly infiltrated in ccRCC, affecting patient prognosis via M2-type polarization. Our in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that LDHA and M2-type macrophages could enhance the proliferation, invasion, and migration abilities of ccRCC cells. Mechanistically, high expression of LDHA in ccRCC cells upregulated the expression of EPHA2 in exosomes derived from renal cancer. Exosomal EPHA2 promoted M2-type polarization of macrophages by promoting activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in macrophages, thereby promoting the progression of ccRCC. All these findings suggest that EPHA2 may prove to be a potential therapeutic target for advanced RCC.

Targeting the "tumor microenvironment": RNA-binding proteins in the spotlight in colorectal cancer therapy

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and has the second highest mortality rate among cancers. The development of CRC involves both genetic and epigenetic abnormalities, and recent research has focused on exploring the ex-transcriptome, particularly post-transcriptional modifications. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are emerging epigenetic regulators that play crucial roles in post-transcriptional events. Dysregulation of RBPs can result in aberrant expression of downstream target genes, thereby affecting the progression of colorectal tumors and the prognosis of patients. Recent studies have shown that RBPs can influence CRC pathogenesis and progression by regulating various components of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Although previous research on RBPs has primarily focused on their direct regulation of colorectal tumor development, their involvement in the remodeling of the TME has not been systematically reported. This review aims to highlight the significant role of RBPs in the intricate interactions within the CRC tumor microenvironment, including tumor immune microenvironment, inflammatory microenvironment, extracellular matrix, tumor vasculature, and CRC cancer stem cells. We also highlight several compounds under investigation for RBP-TME-based treatment of CRC, including small molecule inhibitors such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), siRNAs, agonists, gene manipulation, and tumor vaccines. The insights gained from this review may lead to the development of RBP-based targeted novel therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating the TME, potentially inhibiting the progression and metastasis of CRC.

Potential therapeutic targets in myeloid cell therapy for overcoming chemoresistance and immune suppression in gastrointestinal tumors

In the tumor microenvironment (TME), myeloid cells play a pivotal role. Myeloid-derived immunosuppressive cells, including tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), are central components in shaping the immunosuppressive milieu of the tumor. Within the TME, a majority of TAMs assume an M2 phenotype, characterized by their pro-tumoral activity. These cells promote tumor cell growth, angiogenesis, invasion, and migration. In contrast, M1 macrophages, under appropriate activation conditions, exhibit cytotoxic capabilities against cancer cells. However, an excessive M1 response may lead to pro-tumoral inflammation. As a result, myeloid cells have emerged as crucial targets in cancer therapy. This review concentrates on gastrointestinal tumors, detailing methods for targeting macrophages to enhance tumor radiotherapy and immunotherapy sensitivity. We specifically delve into monocytes and tumor-associated macrophages' various functions, establishing an immunosuppressive microenvironment, promoting tumorigenic inflammation, and fostering neovascularization and stromal remodeling. Additionally, we examine combination therapeutic strategies.

Establishment and verification of a prognostic model based on coagulation and fibrinolysis-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Studies have shown that coagulation and fibrinolysis (CFR) are correlated with Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression and prognosis. We aim to build a model based on CFR-correlated genes for risk assessment and prediction of HCC patient.

METHODS

HCC samples were selected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases respectively. The Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB) was used to select the CFR genes. RiskScore model were established by single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA), weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA), multivariate Cox regression analysis, LASSO regression analysis.

RESULTS

PCDH17, PGF, PDE2A, FAM110D, FSCN1, FBLN5 were selected as the key genes and designed a RiskScore model. Those key genes were Differential expressions in HCC cell and patients. Overexpression PDE2A inhibited HCC cell migration and invasion. The higher the RiskScore, the lower the probability of survival. The model has high AUC values in the first, third and fifth year prediction curves, indicating that the model has strong prediction performance. The difference analysis of clinicopathological features found that a great proportion of high clinicopathological grade samples showed higher RiskScore. RiskScore were positively correlated with immune scores and TIDE scores. High levels of immune checkpoints and immunomodulators were observed in high RiskScore group. High RiskScore groups may benefit greatly from taking traditional chemotherapy drugs.

CONCLUSIONS

We screened CFR related genes to design a RiskScore model, which could accurately evaluate the prognosis and survival status of HCC patients, providing certain value for optimizing the clinical treatment of cancer in the future.

Proteomic and metabolomic features in patients with HCC responding to lenvatinib and anti-PD1 therapy

Combination therapy (lenvatinib/programmed death-1 inhibitor) is effective for treating unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). We reveal that responders have better overall and progression-free survival, as well as high tumor mutation burden and special somatic variants. We analyze the proteome and metabolome of 82 plasma samples from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; n = 51) and normal controls (n = 15), revealing that individual differences outweigh treatment differences. Responders exhibit enhanced activity in the alternative/lectin complement pathway and higher levels of lysophosphatidylcholines (LysoPCs), predicting a favorable prognosis. Non-responders are enriched for immunoglobulins, predicting worse outcomes. Compared to normal controls, HCC plasma proteins show acute inflammatory response and platelet activation, while LysoPCs decrease. Combination therapy increases LysoPCs/phosphocholines in responders. Logistic regression/random forest models using metabolomic features achieve good performance in the prediction of responders. Proteomic analysis of cancer tissues unveils molecular features that are associated with side effects in responders receiving combination therapy. In conclusion, our analysis identifies plasma features associated with uHCC responders to combination therapy.

Translational research on drug development and biomarker discovery for hepatocellular carcinoma

Translational research plays a key role in drug development and biomarker discovery for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, unique challenges exist in this field because of the limited availability of human tumor samples from surgery, the lack of homogenous oncogenic driver mutations, and the paucity of adequate experimental models. In this review, we provide insights into these challenges and review recent advancements, with a particular focus on the two main agents currently used as mainstream therapies for HCC: anti-angiogenic agents and immunotherapy. First, we examine the pre-clinical and clinical studies to highlight the challenges of determining the optimal therapeutic combinations with biologically effective dosage for HCC. Second, we discuss biomarker studies focusing on anti-PD1/anti-PD-L1-based combination therapy. Finally, we discuss the progress made in our collective understanding of tumor immunology and in multi-omics analysis technology, which enhance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying immunotherapy, characterize different patient subgroups, and facilitate the development of novel combination approaches to improve treatment efficacy. In summary, this review provides a comprehensive overview of efforts in translational research aiming at advancing our understanding of and improving the treatment of HCC.

Tissue factor overexpression promotes resistance to KRAS-G12C inhibition in non-small cell lung cancer

The recently approved KRASG12C mutation-specific inhibitors sotorasib and adagrasib (KRASG12C-I) represent a promising therapy for KRASG12C-driven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, many eligible patients do not benefit due to intrinsic or acquired drug resistance. Tissue factor (TF) is overexpressed in KRAS-mutated (KRASmut) NSCLC and is the target of the FDA-approved ADC Tivdak. Here, we employed HuSC1-39, the parent antibody of a clinical stage TF-ADC (NCT04843709), to investigate the role of TF in KRASmut NSCLC. We found that patients with TF-overexpression had poor survival, elevated P-ERK/P-AKT activity levels and low immune effector cell infiltration in the tumor. In a panel of KRASG12C cell lines, KRASG12C-I response correlated with suppression of TF mRNA, which was not observed in resistant cells. In the drug resistant cells, TF-overexpression relied on an mTORC2-mediated and proteasome-dependent pathway. Combination treatment of HuSC1-39 or mTORC1/2 inhibitor MTI-31 with KRASG12C-I each produced synergistic antitumor efficacy in cell culture and in an orthotopic lung tumor model. TF-depletion in the resistant cells diminished epithelial mesenchymal transition, reduced tumor growth and greatly sensitized KRASG12C-I response. Moreover, employing immunohistochemistry and coculture studies, we demonstrated that HuSC1-39 or MTI-31 reset the tumor microenvironment and restore KRASG12C-I sensitivity by reshaping an M1-like macrophage profile with greatly enhanced phagocytic capacity toward tumor cell killing. Thus, we have identified the TF/mTORC2 axis as a critical new mechanism for triggering immunosuppression and KRASG12C-I resistance. We propose that targeting this axis with HuSC1-39 or MTI-31 will improve KRASG12C-I response in KRAS-driven NSCLC.

New Opportunities in the Systemic Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma-Today and Tomorrow

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer. Liver cirrhosis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease represent major risk factors of HCC. Multiple different treatment options are available, depending on the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) algorithm. Systemic treatment is reserved for certain patients in stages B and C, who will not benefit from regional treatment methods. In the last fifteen years, the arsenal of available therapeutics has largely expanded, which improved treatment outcomes. Nevertheless, not all patients respond to these agents and novel combinations and drugs are needed. In this review, we aim to summarize the pathway of trials investigating the safety and efficacy of targeted therapeutics and immunotherapies since the introduction of sorafenib. Furthermore, we discuss the current evidence regarding resistance mechanisms and potential novel targets in the treatment of advanced HCC.

A Noninvasive Approach to Evaluate Tumor Immune Microenvironment and Predict Outcomes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

It is widely recognized that tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) plays a crucial role in tumor progression, metastasis, and therapeutic response. Despite several noninvasive strategies have emerged for cancer diagnosis and prognosis, there are still lack of effective radiomic-based model to evaluate TIME status, let alone predict clinical outcome and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICIs) response for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we developed a radiomic model to evaluate TIME status within the tumor and predict prognosis and immunotherapy response. A total of 301 patients who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations were enrolled in our study. The intra-tumoral expression of 17 immune-related molecules were evaluated using co-detection by indexing (CODEX) technology, and we construct Immunoscore (IS) with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm and Cox regression method to evaluate TIME. Of 6115 features extracted from MRI, five core features were filtered out, and the Radiomic Immunoscore (RIS) showed high accuracy in predicting TIME status in testing cohort (area under the curve = 0.753). More importantly, RIS model showed the capability of predicting therapeutic response to anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) immunotherapy in an independent cohort with advanced HCC patients (area under the curve = 0.731). In comparison with previously radiomic-based models, our integrated RIS model exhibits not only higher accuracy in predicting prognosis but also the potential guiding significance to HCC immunotherapy.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43657-023-00136-8.

Targeting NAD+ metabolism of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by lenvatinib promotes M2 macrophages reverse polarization, suppressing the HCC progression

BACKGROUND

Lowered nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels in tumor cells drive tumor hyperprogression during immunotherapy, and its restoration activates immune cells. However, the effect of lenvatinib, a first-line treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), on NAD+ metabolism in HCC cells, and the metabolite crosstalk between HCC and immune cells after targeting NAD+ metabolism of HCC cells remain unelucidated.

METHODS

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography multiple reaction monitoring-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MRM-MS) were used to detect and validate differential metabolites. RNA sequencing was used to explore mRNA expression in macrophages and HCC cells. HCC mouse models were used to validate the effects of lenvatinib on immune cells and NAD+ metabolism. The macrophage properties were elucidated using cell proliferation, apoptosis, and co-culture assays. In silico structural analysis and interaction assays were used to determine whether lenvatinib targets tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 2 (TET2). Flow cytometry was performed to assess changes in immune cells.

RESULTS

Lenvatinib targeted TET2 to synthesize and increase NAD+ levels, thereby inhibiting decomposition in HCC cells. NAD+ salvage increased lenvatinib-induced apoptosis of HCC cells. Lenvatinib also induced CD8+ T cells and M1 macrophages infiltration in vivo. And lenvatinib suppressed niacinamide, 5-Hydroxy-L-tryptophan and quinoline secretion of HCC cells, and increased hypoxanthine secretion, which contributed to proliferation, migration and polarization function of macrophages. Consequently, lenvatinib targeted NAD+ metabolism and elevated HCC-derived hypoxanthine to enhance the macrophages polarization from M2 to M1. Glycosaminoglycan binding disorder and positive regulation of cytosolic calcium ion concentration were characteristic features of the reverse polarization.

CONCLUSIONS

Targeting HCC cells NAD+ metabolism by lenvatinib-TET2 pathway drives metabolite crosstalk, leading to M2 macrophages reverse polarization, thereby suppressing HCC progression. Collectively, these novel insights highlight the role of lenvatinib or its combination therapies as promising therapeutic alternatives for HCC patients with low NAD+ levels or high TET2 levels.

POSTN Secretion by Extracellular Matrix Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts (eCAFs) Correlates with Poor ICB Response via Macrophage Chemotaxis Activation of Akt Signaling Pathway in Gastric Cancer

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, but its clinical benefit is limited in advanced gastric cancer (GC). Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have been reported to be associated with ICB resistance, but the underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Our previous single-cell RNA-seq analysis of GC revealed that POSTN+FAP+ extracellular matrix CAFs (eCAFs) communicate with macrophages. Here, we evaluated the correlation between eCAFs and ICB response in TCGA-STAD and real-world cohorts. Immune infiltration analysis and correlation analysis were performed to assess the relationship between eCAFs and macrophages. We first confirmed a negative correlation between the abundance of eCAFs and the overall response rate (ORR) to anti-PD-1 treatment in TCGA-STAD and real-world GC cohorts. Overexpression of POSTN in CAFs enhanced macrophage chemotaxis, while POSTN interference showed the opposite effect in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the cell density of POSTN+ CAFs was positively correlated with the infiltration level of CD163+ macrophages in GC patient tissues. The results demonstrated that POSTN secreted by CAFs enhances macrophage chemotaxis by activating the Akt signaling pathway in macrophages. Additionally, we found that POSTN+FAP+ eCAFs may exist in multiple solid tumors and are associated with ICB resistance. eCAFs promote macrophage chemotaxis through the secretion of POSTN, thereby leading to ICB resistance. High expression of POSTN is likely to predict a poor response to ICB. POSTN downregulation may be considered as a candidate therapeutic strategy to improve ICB efficacy.

Immunosuppressive CD10+ALPL+ neutrophils promote resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy in HCC by mediating irreversible exhaustion of T cells

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Remodeling the tumor microenvironment is a critical strategy for treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Yet, how distinct cell populations in the microenvironment mediate tumor resistance to immunotherapies, such as anti-PD-1, remains poorly understood.

METHODS

We analyzed the transcriptomic profile, at a single-cell resolution, of tumor tissues from patients with HCC scheduled to receive anti-PD-1-based immunotherapy. Our comparative analysis and experimental validation using flow cytometry and histopathological analysis uncovered a discrete subpopulation of cells associated with resistance to anti-PD-1 treatment in patients and a rat model. A TurboID-based proximity labeling approach was deployed to gain mechanistic insights into the reprogramming of the HCC microenvironment.

RESULTS

We identified CD10+ALPL+ neutrophils as being associated with resistance to anti-PD-1 treatment. These neutrophils exhibited a strong immunosuppressive activity by inducing an apparent "irreversible" exhaustion of T cells in terms of cell number, frequency, and gene profile. Mechanistically, CD10+ALPL+ neutrophils were induced by tumor cells, i.e., tumor-secreted NAMPT reprogrammed CD10+ALPL+ neutrophils through NTRK1, maintaining them in an immature state and inhibiting their maturation and activation.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, our results reveal a fundamental mechanism by which CD10+ALPL+ neutrophils contribute to tumor immune escape from durable anti-PD-1 treatment. These data also provide further insights into novel immunotherapy targets and possible synergistic treatment regimens.

IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS

Herein, we discovered that tumor cells reprogrammed CD10+ALPL+ neutrophils to induce the "irreversible" exhaustion of T cells and hence allow tumors to escape from the intended effects of anti-PD-1 treatment. Our data provided a new theoretical basis for the elucidation of special cell populations and revealed a molecular mechanism underpinning resistance to immunotherapy. Targeting these cells alongside existing immunotherapy could be looked at as a potentially more effective therapeutic approach.

Macrophage metabolism, phenotype, function, and therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

The pivotal role of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in the initiation and advancement of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is widely acknowledged, as it fosters the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells. Within the intricate TME of HCC, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) represent a significant constituent of non-malignant cells. TAMs engage in direct communication with cancer cells in HCC, while also exerting influence on other immune cells to adopt a tumor-supportive phenotype that facilitates tumor progression. Among the multifaceted mechanisms at play, the metabolic reprogramming of both tumor cells and macrophages leads to phenotypic alterations and functional modifications in macrophages. This comprehensive review elucidates the intricate interplay between cellular metabolism and macrophage phenotype/polarization, while also providing an overview of the associated signaling molecules and potential therapeutic strategies for HCC.

Integrating bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing data to establish necroptosis-related lncRNA risk model and analyze the immune microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

The increasing evidence suggests that necroptosis mediates many behaviors of tumors, as well as the regulation of the tumor microenvironment. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in a variety of regulatory processes during tumor development and are significantly associated with patient prognosis. It suggests that necroptosis-related lncRNAs (NRlncRNAs) may serve as biomarkers for the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

lncRNA expression profiles of HCC were obtained from TCGA database. LncRNAs associated with necroptosis were extracted using correlation analysis. Prognostic models were constructed based on least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm (LASSO) and multivariate Cox regression analysis. The differences of tumor microenvironment between high-risk and low-risk groups were further analyzed. Single-cell RNA sequencing data of HCC was performed to assess the enrichment of necroptosis-related genes in immune cell subsets. Finally, real-time RT-PCR was used to detect the prognosis-related lncRNAs expression in different HCC cell lines.

Results

We constructed a prognostic signature based on 8 NRlncRNAs, which also showed good predictive accuracy. The model showed that the prognosis of patients with high-risk score was significantly worse than that of patients with low-risk score (P < 0.05). Combined with the clinical characteristics and risk score of HCC, Nomogram was drawn for reference in clinical practice. In addition, immune cell infiltration analysis and single cell RNA sequencing analysis showed that a low level of immune infiltration was observed in patients at high risk and that there was a significant correlation between NRlncRNAs and macrophages. The results of RT-qPCR also showed that 8 necroptosis-related lncRNAs were highly expressed in HCC cell lines and human liver cancer tissues.

Conclusion

This prognostic signature based on the necroptosis-related lncRNAs may provide meaningful clinical insights for the prognosis and immunotherapy responses in patients with HCC.

A biomimetic liver cancer on-a-chip reveals a critical role of LIPOCALIN-2 in promoting hepatocellular carcinoma progression

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) represent a significant component of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) microenvironments which play a critical role in tumor progression and drug resistance. Tumor-on-a-chip technology has provided a powerful in vitro platform to investigate the crosstalk between activated HSCs and HCC cells by mimicking physiological architecture with precise spatiotemporal control. Here we developed a tri-cell culture microfluidic chip to evaluate the impact of HSCs on HCC progression. On-chip analysis revealed activated HSCs contributed to endothelial invasion, HCC drug resistance and natural killer (NK) cell exhaustion. Cytokine array and RNA sequencing analysis were combined to indicate the iron-binding protein LIPOCALIN-2 (LCN-2) as a key factor in remodeling tumor microenvironments in the HCC-on-a-chip. LCN-2 targeted therapy demonstrated robust anti-tumor effects both in vitro 3D biomimetic chip and in vivo mouse model, including angiogenesis inhibition, sorafenib sensitivity promotion and NK-cell cytotoxicity enhancement. Taken together, the microfluidic platform exhibited obvious advantages in mimicking functional characteristics of tumor microenvironments and developing targeted therapies.

Targeting neuropilin-1 abolishes anti-PD-1-upregulated regulatory T cells and synergizes with 4-1BB agonist for liver cancer treatment

BACKGROUND AIMS

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are an obstacle to PD-1 blockade-mediated antitumor efficacy. However, the behaviors of Tregs response to anti-PD-1 in HCC and the characteristics of Tregs tissue adaptation from peripheral lymphoid tissues to the tumor are still unclear.

APPROACH RESULTS

Here, we determine that PD-1 monotherapy potentially augments the accumulation of tumor CD4 + Tregs. Mechanistically, anti-PD-1 mediates Tregs proliferation in lymphoid tissues rather than in the tumor. Increased peripheral Tregs burden replenishes intratumoral Tregs, raising the ratio of intratumoral CD4 + Tregs to CD8 + T cells. Subsequently, single-cell transcriptomics revealed that neuropilin-1 (Nrp-1) supports Tregs migration behavior, and the genes of Crem and Tnfrsf9 regulate the behaviors of the terminal suppressive Tregs. Nrp-1 + 4-1BB - Tregs stepwise develop to the Nrp-1 - 4-1BB + Tregs from lymphoid tissues into the tumor. Moreover, Treg-restricted Nrp1 depletion abolishes anti-PD-1-upregulated intratumoral Tregs burden and synergizes with the 4-1BB agonist to enhance the antitumor response. Finally, a combination of the Nrp-1 inhibitor and the 4-1BB agonist in humanized HCC models showed a favorable and safe outcome and evoked the antitumor effect of the PD-1 blockade.

CONCLUSION

Our findings elucidate the potential mechanism of anti-PD-1-mediated intratumoral Tregs accumulation in HCC and uncover the tissue adaptation characteristics of Tregs and identify the therapeutic potential of targeting Nrp-1 and 4-1BB for reprogramming the HCC microenvironment.

Combating drug resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma: No awareness today, no action tomorrow

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the sixth most common cancer worldwide, is associated with a high degree of malignancy and poor prognosis. Patients with early HCC may benefit from surgical resection to remove tumor tissue and a margin of healthy tissue surrounding it. Unfortunately, most patients with HCC are diagnosed at an advanced or distant stage, at which point resection is not feasible. Systemic therapy is now routinely prescribed to patients with advanced HCC; however, drug resistance has become a major obstacle to the treatment of HCC and exploring purported mechanisms promoting drug resistance remains a challenge. Here, we focus on the determinants of drug resistance from the perspective of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs), autophagy, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), exosomes, ferroptosis, and the tumor microenvironment (TME), with the aim to provide new insights into HCC treatment.

Unraveling the Complexities of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as effective therapeutics for multiple cancers. Nevertheless, as immunotherapeutic approaches are being extensively utilized, substantial hurdles have arisen for clinicians. These include countering ICIs resistance and ensuring precise efficacy assessments of these drugs, especially in the context of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This review attempts to offer a holistic overview of the latest insights into the ICIs resistance mechanisms in HCC, the molecular underpinnings, and immune response. The intent is to inspire the development of efficacious combination strategies. This review also examines the unconventional response patterns, namely pseudoprogression (PsP) and hyperprogression (HPD). The prompt and rigorous evaluation of these treatment efficacies has emerged as a crucial imperative. Multiple clinical, radiological, and biomarker tests have been advanced to meticulously assess tumor response. Despite progress, precise mechanisms of action and predictive biomarkers remain elusive. This necessitates further investigation through prospective cohort studies in the impending future.

Targeting the Heterogeneous Tumour-Associated Macrophages in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent and aggressive cancer that comprises a complex tumour microenvironment (TME). Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) are one of the most abundant immune cells present in the TME, and play a key role both in the development and in the progression of HCC. Thus, TAM-based immunotherapy has been presented as a promising strategy to complement the currently available therapies for HCC treatment. Among the novel approaches focusing on TAMs, reprogramming their functional state has emerged as a promising option for targeting TAMs as an immunotherapy in combination with the currently available treatment options. Nevertheless, a further understanding of the immunobiology of TAMs is still required. This review synthesizes current insights into the heterogeneous nature of TAMs in HCC and describes the mechanisms behind their pro-tumoural polarization focusing the attention on their interaction with HCC cells. Furthermore, this review underscores the potential involvement of TAMs' reprogramming in HCC therapy and highlights the urgency of advancing our understanding of these cells within the dynamic landscape of HCC.

Single-cell profiling reveals immune disturbances landscape and HLA-F-mediated immune tolerance at the maternal-fetal interface in preeclampsia

Background

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder that always causes maternal and fetal serious adverse outcome. Disturbances in maternal immune tolerance to embryo at the maternal-fetal interface (MFI) may be associated with preeclampsia onset. Recent studies have revealed the reduced expression pattern of HLA-F at the MFI in preeclampsia, while the mechanism of it mediating maternal fetal immune tolerance has not been revealed.

Methods

Single-cell RNA sequencing on placental decidua was performed to reveal the immune disturbances landscape at the MFI in preeclampsia. Human Jar cells and NK-92MI cells were employed to study the role of HLA-F in trophoblasts and lymphocyte.

Results

A total of 101,250 cells were classified into 22 cell clusters. Disease-related IGFBP1+SPP1+ extracellular villus trophoblast (EVT) was identified in the preeclamptic placental decidua, accompanied by newly discovered immune cellular dysfunction such as reduced ribosomal functions of NK populations and abnormal expression of antigen-presenting molecules in most cell clusters. Certain genes that are characteristic of the intermediate stage of myeloid or EVT cell differentiation were found to have unexplored but important functions in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia; specifically, we detected enhanced cell cross-talk between IGFBP1+SPP1+ EVT2 or SPP1+M1 cells and their receptor cell populations at the MFI of PE patients compared to controls. With respect to HLA-F, mIF staining confirmed its reduced expression in PE samples compared to controls. Over-expression of HLA-F in Jar cells promoted cell proliferation, invasion, and migration while under-expression had the opposite effect. In NK-92MI cells, over-expression of HLA-F increased the secretion of immunoregulation cytokines such as CSF1 and CCL22, and promoted adaptive NKG2C+NK cell transformation.

Conclusions

We revealed the immune disturbance landscape at the MFI in preeclampsia. Our findings regarding cellular heterogeneity and immune cellular dysfunction, as revealed by scRNA-seq, and the function of HLA-F in cells provide new perspectives for further investigation of their roles in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, and then provide potential new therapeutic target.

Potential implications of protein kinase Cα in pathophysiological conditions and therapeutic interventions

PKCα is a molecule with many functions that play an important role in cell survival and death to maintain cellular homeostasis. Alteration in the normal functioning of PKCα is responsible for the complicated etiology of many pathologies, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, kidney complications, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetics, and many others. Several studies have been carried out over the years on this kinase's function, and regulation in normal physiology and pathological conditions. A lot of data with antithetical results have therefore accumulated over time to create a complex framework of physiological implications connected to the PKCα function that needs comprehensive elucidation. In light of this information, we critically analyze the multiple roles played by PKCα in basic cellular processes and their molecular mechanism during various pathological conditions. This review further discusses the current approaches to manipulating PKCα signaling amplitude in the patient's favour and proposed PKCα as a therapeutic target to reverse pathological states.

Transcriptome and Metabolome Analyses Reveal the Mechanism of Corpus Luteum Cyst Formation in Pigs

Corpus luteum cysts are a serious reproductive disorder that affects the reproductive performance of sows. In this study, transcriptome and metabolome datasets of porcine normal and cyst luteal granulosa cells were generated to explore the molecular mechanism of luteal cyst formation. We obtained 28.9 Gb of high-quality transcriptome data from luteum tissue samples and identified 1048 significantly differentially expressed genes between the cyst and normal corpus luteum samples. Most of the differentially expressed genes were involved in cancer and immune signaling pathways. Furthermore, 22,622 information-containing positive and negative ions were obtained through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and 1106 metabolites were successfully annotated. Important differentially abundant metabolites and pathways were identified, among which abnormal lipid and choline metabolism were involved in the formation of luteal cysts. The relationships between granulosa cells of luteal cysts and cancer, immune-related signaling pathways, and abnormalities of lipid and choline metabolism were elaborated, providing new entry points for studying the pathogenesis of porcine luteal cysts.

ZFP64 Promotes Gallbladder Cancer Progression through Recruiting HDAC1 to Activate NOTCH1 Signaling Pathway

The lack of meaningful and effective early-stage markers remains the major challenge in the diagnosis of gallbladder cancer (GBC) and a huge barrier to timely treatment. Zinc finger protein 64 (ZFP64), a member of the zinc finger protein family, is considered to be a promising predictor in multiple tumors, but its potential effect in GBC still remains unclear. Here, we identified that ZFP64 was a vital regulatory protein in GBC. We found that ZFP64 expressed higher in GBC gallbladder carcinoma tissues than in normal tissues and was positively correlated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, ZFP64 was responsible for the migration, invasion, proliferation, anti-apoptosis, and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) of GBC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, through Co-IP assay, we confirmed that ZFP64 recruits HDAC1 localized to the promoter region of NUMB for deacetylation and therefore inhibits NUMB expression. The downregulation of NUMB enhanced the activation of the Notch1 signaling pathway, which is indispensable for the GBC-promotion effect of ZFP64 on GBC. In conclusion, ZFP64 regulated GBC progression and metastasis through upregulating the Notch1 signaling pathway, and thus ZFP64 is expected to become a new focus for a GBC prognostic marker and targeted therapy.

Quantitative phosphoproteomics reveals molecular pathway network alterations in human early-stage primary hepatic carcinomas: potential for 3P medical approach

Objective

Hepatic carcinoma is one of the most common types of malignant tumors in the digestive system, and its biological characteristics determine its high rate of metastasis and recurrence after radical resection, leading to a poor prognosis for patients. Increasing evidence demonstrates that phosphoproteins and phosphorylation-mediated molecular pathways influence the occurrence and development of hepatic carcinoma. It is urgent need to develop early-stage biomarkers for improving diagnosis, therapy, medical service, and prognostic assessment. We hypothesize that phosphoproteome and phosphorylation-mediated signaling pathway networks significantly differ in human early-stage primary hepatic carcinomas relative to control liver tissues, which will identify the key differentially phosphorylated proteins and phosphorylation-mediated signaling pathway network alterations in human early-stage primary hepatic carcinoma to innovate predictive diagnosis, prognostic assessment, and personalized medical services and progress beyond the state of the art in the framework of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM).

Methods

Tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomics coupled with TiO2 enrichment of phosphopeptides was used to identify phosphorylation profiling, and bioinformatics was used to analyze the pathways and biological functions of phosphorylation profiling between early-stage hepatic carcinoma tissues and tumor-adjacent normal control tissues. Furthermore, the integrative analysis with transcriptomic data from TCGA database obtained differently expressed genes (DEGs) corresponding to differentially phosphorylated proteins (DPPs) and overall survival (OS)-related DPPs.

Results

A total of 1326 phosphopeptides derived from 858 DPPs in human early-stage primary hepatic carcinoma were identified. KEGG pathway network analysis of 858 DPPs revealed 33 statistically significant signaling pathways, including spliceosome, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, B-cell receptor signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, and fatty acid degradation. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of 858 DPPs revealed that protein phosphorylation was involved in 57 biological processes, 40 cellular components, and 37 molecular functions. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network constructed multiple high-combined scores and co-expressed DPPs. Integrative analysis of transcriptomic data and DPP data identified 105 overlapped molecules (DPPs; DEGs) between hepatic carcinoma tissues and control tissues and 125 OS-related DPPs. Overlapping Venn plots showed 14 common molecules among datasets of DPPs, DEGs, and OS-related DDPs, including FTCD, NDRG2, CCT2, PECR, SLC23A2, PNPLA7, ANLN, HNRNPM, HJURP, MCM2, STMN1, TCOF1, TOP2A, and SSRP1. The drug sensitivities of OS-related DPPs were identified, including LMOD1, CAV2, UBE2E2, RAPH1, ANXA5, HDLBP, CUEDC1, APBB1IP, VCL, SRSF10, SLC23A2, EPB41L2, ESR1, PLEKHA4, SAFB2, SMARCAD1, VCAN, PSD4, RDH16, NOP56, MEF2C, BAIAP2L2, NAGS, SRSF2, FHOD3, and STMN1.

Conclusions

Identification and annotation of phosphoproteomes and phosphorylation-mediated signaling pathways in human early-stage primary hepatic carcinoma tissues provided new directions for tumor prevention and treatment, which (i) helps to enrich phosphorylation functional research and develop new biomarkers; (ii) enriches phosphorylation-mediated signaling pathways to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms of early-stage primary hepatic carcinoma; and (iii) develops anti-tumor drugs that facilitate targeted phosphorylated sites. We recommend quantitative phosphoproteomics in early-stage primary hepatic carcinoma, which offers great promise for in-depth insight into the molecular mechanism of early-stage primary hepatic carcinoma, the discovery of effective therapeutic targets/drugs, and the construction of reliable phosphorylation-related biomarkers for patient stratification, predictive diagnosis, prognostic assessment, and personalized medical services in the framework of PPPM.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13167-023-00335-3.

Protein Kinase C at the Crossroad of Mutations, Cancer, Targeted Therapy and Immune Response

The frequent PKC dysregulations observed in many tumors have made these enzymes natural targets for anticancer applications. Nevertheless, this considerable interest in the development of PKC modulators has not led to the expected therapeutic benefits, likely due to the complex biological activities regulated by PKC isoenzymes, often playing ambiguous and protective functions, further driven by the occurrence of mutations. The structure, regulation and functions of PKCs have been extensively covered in other publications. Herein, we focused on PKC alterations mostly associated with complete functional loss. We also addressed the modest yet encouraging results obtained targeting PKC in selected malignancies and the more frequent negative clinical outcomes. The reported observations advocate the need for more selective molecules and a better understanding of the involved pathways. Furthermore, we underlined the most relevant immune mechanisms controlled by PKC isoforms potentially impacting the immune checkpoint inhibitor blockade-mediated immune recovery. We believe that a comprehensive examination of the molecular features of the tumor microenvironment might improve clinical outcomes by tailoring PKC modulation. This approach can be further supported by the identification of potential response biomarkers, which may indicate patients who may benefit from the manipulation of distinctive PKC isoforms.

The anti-PD-1 era of cervical cancer: achievement, opportunity, and challenge

Cervical cancer is one of the three major female gynecological malignancies, becoming a major global health challenge. Although about 90% of early-stage patients can be cured by surgery, advanced-stage patients still need new treatment methods to improve their efficacy, especially for those with recurrence and metastasis tumors. Anti-PD-1 is currently the most widely used immune checkpoint inhibitor, which has revolutionized cancer therapy for different types of cancer. Pembrolizumab has been approved for second-line treatment of R/M CC but has a modest overall response rate of about 15%. Therefore, multiple types of anti-PD-1 have entered clinical trials successively and evaluated the efficacy in combination with chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. At the same time, the dual specific antibody of PD-1/CTLA-4 was also used in clinical trials of cervical cancer, and the results showed better than anti-PD-1 monotherapy. In addition, anti-PD-1 has also been shown to sensitize radiotherapy. Therefore, understanding the current research progress of anti-PD-1 will better guide clinical application. This review summarizes ongoing clinical trials and published studies of anti-PD-1 monotherapy and combination therapy in the treatment of cervical cancer, as well as discusses the potential molecular biological mechanisms of combination, aiming to provide the basic evidence for support anti-PD-1 in the treatment of cervical cancer and new insights in combination immunotherapy.

Application and Resistance Mechanisms of Lenvatinib in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Lenvatinib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), is one of the preferred targeted drugs for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC). Since the REFLECT study showed that lenvatinib was noninferior to sorafenib in overall survival (OS), lenvatinib monotherapy has been widely used for aHCC. Moreover, lenvatinib combination therapy, especially lenvatinib combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), has shown more encouraging clinical results. However, drug development and comprehensive treatment have not significantly improved the prognosis, and lenvatinib resistance is often encountered in treatment. The underlying molecular mechanism of lenvatinib resistance is still unclear, and studies to solve drug resistance are ongoing. The molecular mechanisms of lenvatinib resistance in patients with aHCC include the regulation of signaling pathways, the regulation of noncoding RNAs, the impact of the immune microenvironment, tumor stem cell activation and other mechanisms. This review aims to (1) summarize the progress of lenvatinib in treating aHCC, (2) delineate the known lenvatinib resistance mechanisms of current therapy, and (3) describe the development of therapeutic methods intended to overcome these resistance mechanisms.

A bibliometric study on the utilization of lenvatinib in hepatocellular carcinoma (2014-2022)

Background: The REFLECT phase-III trial has demonstrated the efficacy of lenvatinib in improving the overall survival of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, comparable to sorafenib. The rapidly evolving landscape of hepatocellular carcinoma therapy presents new avenues for lenvatinib. This study aims to provide a scientometric analysis of publications and predict research hotspots in this field. Methods: Relevant publications were sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database up until November 2022. The bibliometrix tool in R was employed for scientometric analysis and visualization. Results: A total of 879 publications from 2014 to 2022 were obtained from WoSCC that met the established criteria. These studies involved 4,675 researchers from 40 countries, with an average annual growth rate of 102.5%. The highest number of publications was from Japan, followed by China, Italy, and the United States. The largest proportion of studies, 14.0% (n = 123), was contributed by FUDAN UNIV. The studies were published in 274 journals, with CANCERS (n = 53) being the top journal, followed by FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY (n = 51) and HEPATOLOGY RESEARCH (n = 36). The top ten journals accounted for 31.5% of the 879 studies. The most prolific authors were Kudo M (n = 51), Hiraoka A (n = 43), and Tsuji K (n = 38). A total of 1,333 keywords were analyzed, with the present research hotspots being "immune checkpoint inhibitors," "prognosis," and "pd-1." Co-occurrence clustering analysis revealed the top keywords, authors, publications, and journals. Strong collaboration was identified in the field. Conclusion: This scientometric and visual analysis provides a comprehensive summary of the published articles on lenvatinib in HCC during 2014-2022, highlighting the research hotspots, knowledge domain, and frontiers. The results can provide insights into future research directions in this field.

Exosomes and circular RNAs: promising partners in hepatocellular carcinoma from bench to bedside

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by high morbidity and mortality, and a low 5-year survival rate. Exploring the potential molecular mechanisms, finding diagnostic biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity, and determining new therapeutic targets for HCC are urgently needed. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been found to play a key role in the occurrence and development of HCC, while exosomes play an important role in intercellular communication; thus, the combination of circRNAs and exosomes may have inestimable potential in early diagnosis and curative therapy. Previous studies have shown that exosomes can transfer circRNAs from normal or abnormal cells to surrounding or distant cells; thereafter, circRNAs influence target cells. This review summarizes the recent progress regarding the roles of exosomal circRNAs in the diagnosis, prognosis, occurrence and development and immune checkpoint inhibitor and tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance of HCC to provide inspiration for further research.

Identification of the most effective subgroup of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma from immune checkpoint blocker treatment: a meta-analysis

Aims: This work was designed to identify the subgroup of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients for whom treatments containing immune checkpoint blockers (ICBs) were most effective. Materials & methods: A meta-analysis was performed to explore the subgroup population with the greatest benefit of treatments containing ICBs. Results: A total of 2228 patients from four randomized control trials were included. Treatments containing ICBs had better overall survival, progression-free survival and higher objective response rate over treatment without ICBs. Subgroup analysis revealed that treatments containing ICBs were highly effective in improving the overall survival of males, patients with macrovascular invasion and/or extrahepatic spread and viral-related HCC patients. Conclusion: Treatments containing ICBs are more effective for males, patients with macrovascular invasion and/or extrahepatic spread and viral-related HCC patients.

Important oncogenic and immunogenic roles of SPP1 and CSF1 in hepatocellular carcinoma

The treatment and prognosis of liver cancer remain the focus of medical research. Studies have shown that SPP1 and CSF1 play important roles in cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Therefore, this study analyzed the oncogenic and immunologic roles of SPP1 and CSF1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We found that the expression levels of SPP1 and CSF1 in HCC were markedly increased and positively correlated. High SPP1 expression was significantly associated with poor OS, DSS, PFS, and RFS. It was not affected by gender, alcohol use, HBV, or race, whereas CSF1 was affected by these factors. Higher expression levels of SPP1 and CSF1 indicated higher levels of immune cell infiltration and a higher immune score with the R software package ESTIMATE. Further analysis revealed that many genes work co-expressed between SPP1 and CSF1 with the LinkedOmics database, which were mainly involved in signal transduction, the integral components of the membrane, protein binding, and osteoclast differentiation. In addition, we screened ten hub genes using cytoHubba, among which the expression of four genes was significantly associated with the prognosis of HCC patients. Finally, we demonstrated the oncogenic and immunologic roles of SPP1 and CSF1 using the vitro experiments. Reducing the expression of either SPP1 or CSF1 could significantly reduce the proliferation of HCC cells and the expression of CSF1, SPP1, and the other four hub genes. This study suggested that SPP1 and CSF1 interact with each other and have the potential to be therapeutic and prognostic targets for HCC.

Profiling and integrated analysis of transcriptional addiction gene expression and prognostic value in hepatocellular carcinoma

Transcriptional dysregulation caused by genomic and epigenetic alterations in cancer is called "transcriptional addiction". Transcriptional addiction is an important pathogenic factor of tumor malignancy. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) genomes are highly heterogeneous, with many dysregulated genes. Our study analyzed the possibility that transcriptional addiction-related genes play a significant role in HCC. All data sources for conducting this study were public cancer databases and tissue microarrays. We identified 38 transcriptional addiction genes, and most were differentially expressed genes. Among patients of different groups, there were significant differences in overall survival rates. Both nomogram and risk score were independent predictors of HCC outcomes. Transcriptional addiction gene expression characteristics determine the sensitivity of patients to immunotherapy, cisplatin, and sorafenib. Besides, HDAC2 was identified as an oncogene, and its expression was correlated with patient survival time. Our study conclusively demonstrated that transcriptional addiction is crucial in HCC. We provided biomarkers for predicting the prognosis of HCC patients, which can more precisely guide the patient's treatment.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma

The application of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has markedly enhanced the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and HCC patients who respond to ICIs have shown prolonged survival. However, only a subset of HCC patients benefit from ICIs, and those who initially respond to ICIs may develop resistance. ICI resistance is likely related to various factors, including the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), the absence of antigen expression and impaired antigen presentation, tumor heterogeneity, and gut microbiota. Therefore, exploring the possible mechanisms of ICI resistance is crucial to improve the clinical benefit of ICIs further. Various combination therapies for HCC immunotherapy have prevented and reversed ICI resistance to a certain extent. In addition, many new combination therapies that can overcome resistance are being explored. This review seeks to characterize the complex TME in HCC, explore the possible mechanisms of immune resistance to ICIs in different resistance categories, and review the combination therapies currently being applied and those under investigation for immunotherapy.

Targeting and regulation of autophagy in hepatocellular carcinoma: revisiting the molecular interactions and mechanisms for new therapy approaches

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that plays a role in regulating homeostasis under physiological conditions. However, dysregulation of autophagy is observed in the development of human diseases, especially cancer. Autophagy has reciprocal functions in cancer and may be responsible for either survival or death. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal and common malignancies of the liver, and smoking, infection, and alcohol consumption can lead to its development. Genetic mutations and alterations in molecular processes can exacerbate the progression of HCC. The function of autophagy in HCC is controversial and may be both tumor suppressive and tumor promoting. Activation of autophagy may affect apoptosis in HCC and is a regulator of proliferation and glucose metabolism. Induction of autophagy may promote tumor metastasis via induction of EMT. In addition, autophagy is a regulator of stem cell formation in HCC, and pro-survival autophagy leads to cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Targeting autophagy impairs growth and metastasis in HCC and improves tumor cell response to therapy. Of note, a large number of signaling pathways such as STAT3, Wnt, miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs regulate autophagy in HCC. Moreover, regulation of autophagy (induction or inhibition) by antitumor agents could be suggested for effective treatment of HCC. In this paper, we comprehensively review the role and mechanisms of autophagy in HCC and discuss the potential benefit of targeting this process in the treatment of the cancer. Video Abstract.

Comprehensive characterization of endoplasmic reticulum stress in bladder cancer revealing the association with tumor immune microenvironment and prognosis

Background: This study constructs a molecular subtype and prognostic model of bladder cancer (BLCA) through endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) related genes, thus helping to clinically guide accurate treatment and prognostic assessment. Methods: The Bladder Cancer (BLCA) gene expression data was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We clustered by ERS-related genes which obtained through GeneCards database, results in the establishment of a new molecular typing of bladder cancer. Further, we explored the characteristics of each typology in terms of immune microenvironment, mutations, and drug screening. By analyzing the ERS-related genes with univariate Cox, LASSO and multivariate Cox analyses, we also developed the four-gene signature, while validating the prognostic effect of the model in GSE32894 and GSE13507 cohorts. Finally, we evaluated the prognostic value of the clinical data in the high and low ERS score groups and constructed a prognostic score line graph by Nomogram. Results: We constructed four molecular subtypes (C1- C4) of bladder cancer, in which patients with C2 had a poor prognosis and those with C3 had a better prognosis. The C2 had a high degree of TP53 mutation, significant immune cell infiltration and high immune score. In contrast, C3 had a high degree of FGFR3 mutation, insignificant immune cell infiltration, and reduced immune checkpoint expression. After that, we built ERS-related risk signature to calculate ERS score, including ATP2A3, STIM2, VWF and P4HB. In the GSE32894 and GSE13507, the signature also had good predictive value for prognosis. In addition, ERS scores were shown to correlate well with various clinical features. Finally, we correlated the ERS clusters and ERS score. Patients with high ERS score were more likely to have the C2 phenotype, while patients with low ERS score were C3. Conclusion: In summary, we identified four novel molecular subtypes of BLCA by ERS-related genes which could provide some new insights into precision medicine. Prognostic models constructed from ERS-related genes can be used to predict clinical outcomes. Our study contributes to the study of personalized treatment and mechanisms of BLCA.

Efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors plus molecular targeted agents after the progression of lenvatinib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Lenvatinib is a standard first-line systemic therapy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC) and is widely used in all lines. However, the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) plus molecular targeted agents (MTAs) after the progression of lenvatinib treatment are unclear.

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the anticancer effects of ICI plus MTA in patients with aHCC who progressed after lenvatinib.

Methods

We retrospectively included aHCC patients treated with ICI plus MTA after the progression of lenvatinib from two medical centers. Participants who continued lenvatinib treatment were classified into the "ICI+Lenva" group, while the "ICI+Others" group included patients receiving other MTAs. The efficacy endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), post-progression survival (PPS), overall survival (OS), and tumor response following RECIST v1.1. Safety was evaluated according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v5.0.

Results

In this study, 85 eligible aHCC patients were enrolled, including 58 in the ICI+Lenva group and 27 in the ICI+Others group. At a median follow-up time of 22.8 months, the median PPS and PFS were 14.0 (95% CI: 9.0-18.2) and 4.5 months (95% CI: 3.5-8.3), respectively. The objective response and disease control rates were 10.6% and 52.9%, respectively. No significant differences were observed in any of the efficacy endpoints between the two groups. Prolonged PPS was associated with Child-Pugh grade A, AFP < 400 IU/ml, and concomitant locoregional treatment. All patients experienced adverse events (AEs), but no fatal AEs were observed.

Conclusion

ICI plus MTA in aHCC patients after the progression of lenvatinib presented high antitumor activity and safety. Patients could continue lenvatinib treatment and receive ICIs as well as locoregional treatment to achieve better OS.

Targeted Pyroptosis Is a Potential Therapeutic Strategy for Cancer

As a type of regulated cell death (RCD) mode, pyroptosis plays an important role in several kinds of cancers. Pyroptosis is induced by different stimuli, whose pathways are divided into the canonical pathway and the noncanonical pathway depending on the formation of the inflammasomes. The canonical pathway is triggered by the assembly of inflammasomes, and the activation of caspase-1 and then the cleavage of effector protein gasdermin D (GSDMD) are promoted. While in the noncanonical pathway, the caspase-4/5/11 (caspase 4/5 in humans and caspase 11 in mice) directly cleave GSDMD without the assembly of inflammasomes. Pyroptosis is involved in various cancers, such as lung cancer, gastric cancer, hepatic carcinoma, breast cancer, and colorectal carcinoma. Pyroptosis in gastric cancer, hepatic carcinoma, breast cancer, and colorectal carcinoma is related to the canonical pathway, while both the canonical and noncanonical pathway participate in lung cancer. Moreover, simvastatin, metformin, and curcumin have effect on these cancers and simultaneously promote the pyroptosis of cancer cells. Accordingly, pyroptosis may be an important therapeutic target for cancer.

Lenvatinib as First-Line Treatment for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Lenvatinib was approved in 2018 as a first-line treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to provide the most updated evidence about the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib as a first-line treatment for unresectable HCC. An electronic search of the PubMed database, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library was undertaken to identify all relevant studies up to May 2022. The pooled effect sizes were calculated based on the random-effects model. One phase III randomized controlled trial and 23 retrospective studies of 2438 patients were eligible for analysis. For patients treated with lenvatinib as first-line treatment, the pooled median overall survival (OS), median progression-free survival (PFS), 1-year OS rate, 1-year PFS rate, objective response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR) were 11.36 months, 6.68 months, 56.0%, 27.0%, 36.0% and 75.0%, respectively. Lenvatinib showed a significantly superior efficacy compared with sorafenib (HR for OS, 0.85 and HR for PFS, 0.72; OR for ORR, 4.25 and OR for DCR, 2.23). The current study demonstrates that lenvatinib can provide better tumor responses and survival benefits than sorafenib as a first-line treatment for unresectable HCC, with a comparable incidence of adverse events.

Protein Kinase C (PKC) Isozymes as Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets for Cancer

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a large family of calcium- and phospholipid-dependent serine/threonine kinases that consists of at least 11 isozymes. Based on their structural characteristics and mode of activation, the PKC family is classified into three subfamilies: conventional or classic (cPKCs; α, βI, βII, and γ), novel or non-classic (nPKCs; δ, ε, η, and θ), and atypical (aPKCs; ζ, ι, and λ) (PKCλ is the mouse homolog of PKCι) PKC isozymes. PKC isozymes play important roles in proliferation, differentiation, survival, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and anticancer drug resistance in cancer cells. Several studies have shown a positive relationship between PKC isozymes and poor disease-free survival, poor survival following anticancer drug treatment, and increased recurrence. Furthermore, a higher level of PKC activation has been reported in cancer tissues compared to that in normal tissues. These data suggest that PKC isozymes represent potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for cancer. This review summarizes the current knowledge and discusses the potential of PKC isozymes as biomarkers in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancers.

Mitochondrial fragmentation in liver cancer: Emerging player and promising therapeutic opportunities

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Enhanced mitochondrial fragmentation (MF) is associated with poor prognosis in HCC patients. However, its molecular mechanism in HCC remains elusive. Although enhanced MF activates effector T cells and dendritic cells, it induces immunoescape by decreasing the number and cytotoxicity of natural killer cells in the HCC immune microenvironment. Therefore, the influence of MF on the activity of different immune cells is a great challenge. Enhanced MF contributes to maintaining stemness by promoting the asymmetric division of liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs), suggesting that MF may become a potential target for HCC recurrence, metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance. Moreover, mechanistic studies suggest that MF may promote tumour progression through autophagy, oxidative stress, and metabolic reprogramming. Human-induced hepatocyte organoids are a recently developed system that can be genetically manipulated to mimic cancer initiation and identify potential preventive treatments. We can use it to screen MF-related candidate inhibitors of HCC progression and further explore the role of MF in hepatocarcinogenesis. We herein describe the mechanisms by which MF contributes to HCC development, discuss potential therapeutic approaches, and highlight the possibility that MF modulation has a synergistic effect with immunotherapy.

Tumor-associated macrophages in liver cancer: From mechanisms to therapy

Multidimensional analyses have demonstrated the presence of a unique tumor microenvironment (TME) in liver cancer. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are among the most abundant immune cells infiltrating the TME and are present at all stages of liver cancer progression, and targeting TAMs has become one of the most favored immunotherapy strategies. In addition, macrophages and liver cancer cells have distinct origins. At the early stage of liver cancer, macrophages can provide a niche for the maintenance of liver cancer stem cells. In contrast, cancer stem cells (CSCs) or poorly differentiated tumor cells are key factors modulating macrophage activation. In the present review, we first propose the origin connection between precursor macrophages and liver cancer cells. Macrophages undergo dynamic phenotypic transition during carcinogenesis. In this course of such transition, it is critical to determine the appropriate timing for therapy and block specific markers to suppress pro-tumoral TAMs. The present review provides a more detailed discussion of transition trends of such surface markers than previous reviews. Complex crosstalk occurs between TAMs and liver cancer cells. TAMs play indispensable roles in tumor progression, angiogenesis, and autophagy due to their heterogeneity and robust plasticity. In addition, macrophages in the TME interact with other immune cells by directing cell-to-cell contact or secreting various effector molecules. Similarly, tumor cells combined with other immune cells can drive macrophage recruitment and polarization. Despite the latest achievements and the advancements in treatment strategies following TAMs studies, comprehensive discussions on the communication between macrophages and cancer cells or immune cells in liver cancer are currently lacking. In this review, we discussed the interactions between TAMs and liver cancer cells (from cell origin to maturation), the latest therapeutic strategies (including chimeric antigen receptor macrophages), and critical clinical trials for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) to provide a rationale for further clinical investigation of TAMs as a potential target for treating patients with liver cancer.