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Sun L, Liu R, Wu ZJ, Liu ZY, Wan AH, Yan S, Liu C, Liang H, Xiao M, You N, Lou Y, Deng Y, Bu X, Chen D, Huang J, Zhang X, Kuang DM, Wan G. Galectin-7 Induction by EHMT2 Inhibition Enhances Immunity in Microsatellite Stability Colorectal Cancer. Gastroenterology 2024; 166:466-482. [PMID: 38065340 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2023.11.294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Although immunotherapy shows substantial advancement in colorectal cancer (CRC) with microsatellite instability high, it has limited efficacy for CRC with microsatellite stability (MSS). Identifying combinations that reverse immune suppression and prime MSS tumors for current immunotherapy approaches remains an urgent need. METHODS An in vitro CRISPR screen was performed using coculture models of primary tumor cells and autologous immune cells from MSS CRC patients to identify epigenetic targets that could enhance immunotherapy efficacy in MSS tumors. RESULTS We revealed EHMT2, a histone methyltransferase, as a potential target for MSS CRC. EHMT2 inhibition transformed the immunosuppressive microenvironment of MSS tumors into an immunomodulatory one by altering cytokine expression, leading to T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity activation and improved responsiveness to anti-PD1 treatment. We observed galectin-7 up-regulation upon EHMT2 inhibition, which converted a "cold" MSS tumor environment into a T-cell-inflamed one. Mechanistically, CHD4 repressed galectin-7 expression by recruiting EHMT2 to form a cotranscriptional silencing complex. Galectin-7 administration enhanced anti-PD1 efficacy in MSS CRC, serving as a potent adjunct cytokine therapy. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that targeting the EHMT2/galectin-7 axis could provide a novel combination strategy for immunotherapy in MSS CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Sun
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drug Evaluation, National Engineering Research Center for New Drug and Druggability (cultivation), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ruonian Liu
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drug Evaluation, National Engineering Research Center for New Drug and Druggability (cultivation), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zong-Jian Wu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zheng-Yu Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Arabella H Wan
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shijia Yan
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drug Evaluation, National Engineering Research Center for New Drug and Druggability (cultivation), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chuwei Liu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Heng Liang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drug Evaluation, National Engineering Research Center for New Drug and Druggability (cultivation), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Min Xiao
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drug Evaluation, National Engineering Research Center for New Drug and Druggability (cultivation), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Nan You
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drug Evaluation, National Engineering Research Center for New Drug and Druggability (cultivation), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yawen Lou
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drug Evaluation, National Engineering Research Center for New Drug and Druggability (cultivation), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuan Deng
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drug Evaluation, National Engineering Research Center for New Drug and Druggability (cultivation), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xianzhang Bu
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drug Evaluation, National Engineering Research Center for New Drug and Druggability (cultivation), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dongshi Chen
- Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Jun Huang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaolei Zhang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drug Evaluation, National Engineering Research Center for New Drug and Druggability (cultivation), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dong-Ming Kuang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guohui Wan
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drug Evaluation, National Engineering Research Center for New Drug and Druggability (cultivation), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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Díaz-Alvarez L, López-Cortés GI, Pérez-Figueroa E. Immunomodulation exerted by galectins: a land of opportunity in rare cancers. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1301025. [PMID: 38022609 PMCID: PMC10663293 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1301025] [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: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Rare cancers represent only 5% of newly diagnosed malignancies. However, in some cases, they account for up to 50% of the deaths attributed to cancer in their corresponding organ. Part of the reason is that treatment options are generally quite limited, non-specific, and very often, only palliative. Needless to say, research for tailored treatments is warranted. Molecules that exert immunomodulation of the tumor microenvironment are attractive drug targets. One such group is galectins. Thus, in this review we summarize the current knowledge about galectin-mediated immunomodulation in rare cancers, highlighting the research opportunities in each case.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Díaz-Alvarez
- Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Unidad de Posgrado, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Erandi Pérez-Figueroa
- Unidad Periférica para el Estudio de la Neuroinflamación en Patologías Neurológicas, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas e Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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Placental Galectins in Cancer: Why We Should Pay More Attention. Cells 2023; 12:cells12030437. [PMID: 36766779 PMCID: PMC9914345 DOI: 10.3390/cells12030437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The first studies suggesting that abnormal expression of galectins is associated with cancer were published more than 30 years ago. Today, the role of galectins in cancer is relatively well established. We know that galectins play an active role in many types of cancer by regulating cell growth, conferring cell death resistance, or inducing local and systemic immunosuppression, allowing tumor cells to escape the host immune response. However, most of these studies have focused on very few galectins, most notably galectin-1 and galectin-3, and more recently, galectin-7 and galectin-9. Whether other galectins play a role in cancer remains unclear. This is particularly true for placental galectins, a subgroup that includes galectin-13, -14, and -16. The role of these galectins in placental development has been well described, and excellent reviews on their role during pregnancy have been published. At first sight, it was considered unlikely that placental galectins were involved in cancer. Yet, placentation and cancer progression share several cellular and molecular features, including cell invasion, immune tolerance and vascular remodeling. The development of new research tools and the concomitant increase in database repositories for high throughput gene expression data of normal and cancer tissues provide a new opportunity to examine the potential involvement of placental galectins in cancer. In this review, we discuss the possible roles of placental galectins in cancer progression and why they should be considered in cancer studies. We also address challenges associated with developing novel research tools to investigate their protumorigenic functions and design highly specific therapeutic drugs.
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Galectin-7 reprograms skin carcinogenesis by fostering innate immune evasive programs. Cell Death Differ 2023; 30:906-921. [PMID: 36693903 PMCID: PMC10070502 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-022-01108-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) has risen dramatically as a result of chronic exposure to sunlight ultraviolet (UV) radiation, climatic changes and clinical conditions associated with immunosuppression. In spite of considerable progress, our understanding of the mechanisms that control NMSC development and their associated molecular and immunological landscapes is still limited. Here we demonstrated a critical role for galectin-7 (Gal-7), a β-galactoside-binding protein preferentially expressed in skin tissue, during NMSC development. Transgenic mice (Tg46) overexpressing Gal-7 in keratinocytes showed higher number of papillomas compared to WT mice or mice lacking Gal-7 (Lgals7-/-) when subjected to a skin carcinogenesis protocol, in which tumor initiator 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) were sequentially administered. RNAseq analysis of Tg46 tumor lesions revealed a unique profile compatible with cells of the myelomonocytic lineage infiltrating these tumors, an effect that was substantiated by a higher number of CD11b+Gr1+ cells in tumor-draining lymph nodes. Heightened c-Met activation and Cxcl-1 expression in Tg46 lesions suggested a contribution of this pathway to the recruitment of these cells. Remarkably, Gal-7 bound to the surface of CD11b+Ly6ChiLy6Glo monocytic myeloid cells and enhanced their immunosuppressive activity, as evidenced by increased IL-10 and TGF-β1 secretion, and higher T-cell inhibitory activity. In vivo, carcinogen-treated Lgals7-/- animals adoptively transferred with Gal-7-conditioned monocytic myeloid cells developed higher number of papillomas, whereas depletion of these cells in Tg46-treated mice led to reduction in the number of tumors. Finally, human NMSC biopsies showed increased LGALS7 mRNA and Gal-7 protein expression and displayed transcriptional profiles associated with myeloid programs, accompanied by elevated CXCL1 expression and c-Met activation. Thus, Gal-7 emerges as a critical mediator of skin carcinogenesis and a potential therapeutic target in human NMSC.
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