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Lin H, Liu C, Hu A, Zhang D, Yang H, Mao Y. Understanding the immunosuppressive microenvironment of glioma: mechanistic insights and clinical perspectives. J Hematol Oncol 2024; 17:31. [PMID: 38720342 PMCID: PMC11077829 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-024-01544-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM), the predominant and primary malignant intracranial tumor, poses a formidable challenge due to its immunosuppressive microenvironment, thereby confounding conventional therapeutic interventions. Despite the established treatment regimen comprising surgical intervention, radiotherapy, temozolomide administration, and the exploration of emerging modalities such as immunotherapy and integration of medicine and engineering technology therapy, the efficacy of these approaches remains constrained, resulting in suboptimal prognostic outcomes. In recent years, intensive scrutiny of the inhibitory and immunosuppressive milieu within GBM has underscored the significance of cellular constituents of the GBM microenvironment and their interactions with malignant cells and neurons. Novel immune and targeted therapy strategies have emerged, offering promising avenues for advancing GBM treatment. One pivotal mechanism orchestrating immunosuppression in GBM involves the aggregation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), glioma-associated macrophage/microglia (GAM), and regulatory T cells (Tregs). Among these, MDSCs, though constituting a minority (4-8%) of CD45+ cells in GBM, play a central component in fostering immune evasion and propelling tumor progression, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. MDSCs deploy intricate immunosuppressive mechanisms that adapt to the dynamic tumor microenvironment (TME). Understanding the interplay between GBM and MDSCs provides a compelling basis for therapeutic interventions. This review seeks to elucidate the immune regulatory mechanisms inherent in the GBM microenvironment, explore existing therapeutic targets, and consolidate recent insights into MDSC induction and their contribution to GBM immunosuppression. Additionally, the review comprehensively surveys ongoing clinical trials and potential treatment strategies, envisioning a future where targeting MDSCs could reshape the immune landscape of GBM. Through the synergistic integration of immunotherapy with other therapeutic modalities, this approach can establish a multidisciplinary, multi-target paradigm, ultimately improving the prognosis and quality of life in patients with GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Lin
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Chaxian Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Ankang Hu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Duanwu Zhang
- Children's Hospital of Fudan University, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hui Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- Institute for Translational Brain Research, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
| | - Ying Mao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
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Bahcheli AT, Min HK, Bayati M, Zhao H, Fortuna A, Dong W, Dzneladze I, Chan J, Chen X, Guevara-Hoyer K, Dirks PB, Huang X, Reimand J. Pan-cancer ion transport signature reveals functional regulators of glioblastoma aggression. EMBO J 2024; 43:196-224. [PMID: 38177502 PMCID: PMC10897389 DOI: 10.1038/s44318-023-00016-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: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Ion channels, transporters, and other ion-flux controlling proteins, collectively comprising the "ion permeome", are common drug targets, however, their roles in cancer remain understudied. Our integrative pan-cancer transcriptome analysis shows that genes encoding the ion permeome are significantly more often highly expressed in specific subsets of cancer samples, compared to pan-transcriptome expectations. To enable target selection, we identified 410 survival-associated IP genes in 33 cancer types using a machine-learning approach. Notably, GJB2 and SCN9A show prominent expression in neoplastic cells and are associated with poor prognosis in glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive brain cancer. GJB2 or SCN9A knockdown in patient-derived glioblastoma cells induces transcriptome-wide changes involving neuron projection and proliferation pathways, impairs cell viability and tumor sphere formation in vitro, perturbs tunneling nanotube dynamics, and extends the survival of glioblastoma-bearing mice. Thus, aberrant activation of genes encoding ion transport proteins appears as a pan-cancer feature defining tumor heterogeneity, which can be exploited for mechanistic insights and therapy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander T Bahcheli
- Computational Biology Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hyun-Kee Min
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Masroor Bayati
- Computational Biology Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hongyu Zhao
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Neurosurgery and Hunan International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Brain Tumor Research, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Alexander Fortuna
- Computational Biology Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Weifan Dong
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Irakli Dzneladze
- Computational Biology Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jade Chan
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Xin Chen
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Songjiang Research Institute, Songjiang Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Kissy Guevara-Hoyer
- Computational Biology Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Cancer Immunomonitoring and Immuno-Mediated Pathologies Support Unit, Department of Clinical Immunology, Institute of Laboratory Medicine (IML) and Biomedical Research Foundation (IdiSCC), San Carlos Clinical Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Peter B Dirks
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Xi Huang
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Jüri Reimand
- Computational Biology Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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Robbins SM, Senger DL. Targeting network circuitry in glioma. NATURE CANCER 2023; 4:1406-1407. [PMID: 37880415 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-023-00640-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M Robbins
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Donna L Senger
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
- Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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