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Vitiello GAF, Ferreira WAS, Cordeiro de Lima VC, Medina TDS. Antiviral Responses in Cancer: Boosting Antitumor Immunity Through Activation of Interferon Pathway in the Tumor Microenvironment. Front Immunol 2021; 12:782852. [PMID: 34925363 PMCID: PMC8674309 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.782852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, it became apparent that cancers either associated with viral infections or aberrantly expressing endogenous retroviral elements (EREs) are more immunogenic, exhibiting an intense intra-tumor immune cell infiltration characterized by a robust cytolytic apparatus. On the other hand, epigenetic regulation of EREs is crucial to maintain steady-state conditions and cell homeostasis. In line with this, epigenetic disruptions within steady-state cells can lead to cancer development and trigger the release of EREs into the cytoplasmic compartment. As such, detection of viral molecules by intracellular innate immune sensors leads to the production of type I and type III interferons that act to induce an antiviral state, thus restraining viral replication. This knowledge has recently gained momentum due to the possibility of triggering intratumoral activation of interferon responses, which could be used as an adjuvant to elicit strong anti-tumor immune responses that ultimately lead to a cascade of cytokine production. Accordingly, several therapeutic approaches are currently being tested using this rationale to improve responses to cancer immunotherapies. In this review, we discuss the immune mechanisms operating in viral infections, show evidence that exogenous viruses and endogenous retroviruses in cancer may enhance tumor immunogenicity, dissect the epigenetic control of EREs, and point to interferon pathway activation in the tumor milieu as a promising molecular predictive marker and immunotherapy target. Finally, we briefly discuss current strategies to modulate these responses within tumor tissues, including the clinical use of innate immune receptor agonists and DNA demethylating agents.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wallax Augusto Silva Ferreira
- Translational Immuno-Oncology Group, International Research Center, A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratory of Cytogenomics and Environmental Mutagenesis, Environment Section (SAMAM), Evandro Chagas Institute, Ananindeua, Brazil
| | | | - Tiago da Silva Medina
- Translational Immuno-Oncology Group, International Research Center, A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, Brazil
- National Institute of Science and Technology in Oncogenomics and Therapeutic Innovation, São Paulo, Brazil
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2
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Zhang Y, Chen X, Cao Y, Yang Z. Roles of APOBEC3 in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and hepatocarcinogenesis. Bioengineered 2021; 12:2074-2086. [PMID: 34043485 PMCID: PMC8806738 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2021.1931640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
APOBEC3 (A3) cytidine deaminases inhibit hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and play vital roles in maintaining a variety of biochemical processes, including the regulation of protein expression and innate immunity. Emerging evidence indicates that the deaminated deoxycytidine biochemical activity of A3 proteins in single-stranded DNA makes them a double-edged sword. These enzymes can cause cellular genetic mutations at replication forks or within transcription bubbles, depending on the physiological state of the cell and the phase of the cell cycle. Under pathological conditions, aberrant expression of A3 genes with improper deaminase activity regulation may threaten genomic stability and eventually lead to cancer development. This review attempted to summarize the antiviral activities and underlying mechanisms of A3 editing enzymes in HBV infections. Moreover, the correlations between A3 genes and hepatocarcinogenesis were also elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Zhang
- Department of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaorong Chen
- Department of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yajuan Cao
- Central Laboratory, Shanghai Pulmonary HospitalSchool of Medicine, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Clinical Translation Research Center, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zongguo Yang
- Department of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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3
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King JJ, Borzooee F, Im J, Asgharpour M, Ghorbani A, Diamond CP, Fifield H, Berghuis L, Larijani M. Structure-Based Design of First-Generation Small Molecule Inhibitors Targeting the Catalytic Pockets of AID, APOBEC3A, and APOBEC3B. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2021; 4:1390-1407. [PMID: 34423273 PMCID: PMC8369683 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.1c00091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
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Activation-induced
cytidine deaminase (AID) initiates antibody
diversification by mutating immunoglobulin loci in B lymphocytes.
AID and related APOBEC3 (A3) enzymes also induce genome-wide mutations
and lesions implicated in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The
most prevalent mutation signatures across diverse tumor genomes are
attributable to the mistargeted mutagenic activities of AID/A3s. Thus,
inhibiting AID/A3s has been suggested to be of therapeutic benefit.
We previously used a computational-biochemical approach to gain insight
into the structure of AID’s catalytic pocket, which resulted
in the discovery of a novel type of regulatory catalytic pocket closure
that regulates AID/A3s that we termed the “Schrodinger’s
CATalytic pocket”. Our findings were subsequently confirmed
by direct structural studies. Here, we describe our search for small
molecules that target the catalytic pocket of AID. We identified small
molecules that inhibit purified AID, AID in cell extracts, and endogenous
AID of lymphoma cells. Analogue expansion yielded derivatives with
improved potencies. These were found to also inhibit A3A and A3B,
the two most tumorigenic siblings of AID. Two compounds exhibit low
micromolar IC50 inhibition of AID and A3A, exhibiting the
strongest potency for A3A. Docking suggests key interactions between
their warheads and residues lining the catalytic pockets of AID, A3A,
and A3B and between the tails and DNA-interacting residues on the
surface proximal to the catalytic pocket opening. Accordingly, mutants
of these residues decreased inhibition potency. The chemistry and
abundance of key stabilizing interactions between the small molecules
and residues within and immediately outside the catalytic pockets
are promising for therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J King
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.,Program in immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3 V6, Canada
| | - Faezeh Borzooee
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.,Program in immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3 V6, Canada
| | - Junbum Im
- Program in immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3 V6, Canada.,BC Cancer Research/Terry Fox Labs, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia BC V5Z 1L3, Canada
| | - Mahdi Asgharpour
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.,Program in immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3 V6, Canada
| | - Atefeh Ghorbani
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.,Program in immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3 V6, Canada
| | - Cody P Diamond
- Program in immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3 V6, Canada
| | - Heather Fifield
- Program in immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3 V6, Canada
| | - Lesley Berghuis
- Program in immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3 V6, Canada
| | - Mani Larijani
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.,Program in immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3 V6, Canada
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4
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Ghorbani A, Quinlan EM, Larijani M. Evolutionary Comparative Analyses of DNA-Editing Enzymes of the Immune System: From 5-Dimensional Description of Protein Structures to Immunological Insights and Applications to Protein Engineering. Front Immunol 2021; 12:642343. [PMID: 34135887 PMCID: PMC8201067 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.642343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The immune system is unique among all biological sub-systems in its usage of DNA-editing enzymes to introduce targeted gene mutations and double-strand DNA breaks to diversify antigen receptor genes and combat viral infections. These processes, initiated by specific DNA-editing enzymes, often result in mistargeted induction of genome lesions that initiate and drive cancers. Like other molecules involved in human health and disease, the DNA-editing enzymes of the immune system have been intensively studied in humans and mice, with little attention paid (< 1% of published studies) to the same enzymes in evolutionarily distant species. Here, we present a systematic review of the literature on the characterization of one such DNA-editing enzyme, activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), from an evolutionary comparative perspective. The central thesis of this review is that although the evolutionary comparative approach represents a minuscule fraction of published works on this and other DNA-editing enzymes, this approach has made significant impacts across the fields of structural biology, immunology, and cancer research. Using AID as an example, we highlight the value of the evolutionary comparative approach in discoveries already made, and in the context of emerging directions in immunology and protein engineering. We introduce the concept of 5-dimensional (5D) description of protein structures, a more nuanced view of a structure that is made possible by evolutionary comparative studies. In this higher dimensional view of a protein's structure, the classical 3-dimensional (3D) structure is integrated in the context of real-time conformations and evolutionary time shifts (4th dimension) and the relevance of these dynamics to its biological function (5th dimension).
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Affiliation(s)
- Atefeh Ghorbani
- Program in Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada.,Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Emma M Quinlan
- Program in Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Mani Larijani
- Program in Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada.,Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
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5
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Kumar H, Bot A. In this issue: Role of immune cells and molecules in rheumatoid arthritis pathogenesis and cancer immunotherapy. Int Rev Immunol 2019; 37:127-128. [PMID: 29733768 DOI: 10.1080/08830185.2018.1469353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Himanshu Kumar
- a International Reviews of Immunology, Associate Professor, Laboratory of Immunology and Infectious Disease Biology , Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) , Bhopal , India
| | - Adrian Bot
- b International Reviews of Immunology and Vice President, Translational Sciences , Kite Pharma Inc. , Santa Monica , CA , USA
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6
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Borzooee F, Larijani M. Pichia pastoris as a host for production and isolation of mutagenic AID/APOBEC enzymes involved in cancer and immunity. N Biotechnol 2019; 51:67-79. [PMID: 30822538 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2019.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
AID/APOBEC3 enzymes are cytidine deaminases that mutate antibody and retroviral genes and also mediate extensive tumor genome mutagenesis. The study of purified AID/APOBEC3 proteins is challenged by difficulties with their expression and purification arising from genotoxicity in expression hosts, extensive non-specific protein-protein/DNA/RNA interactions and haphazard oligomerization. To date, expression hosts for purification of AID/APOBEC3 enzymes include bacteria, insect and mammalian cells. Here the establishment and optimization of a yeast expression/secretion system for AID/APOBEC3s are reported, followed by comparison with the same enzymes expressed in bacterial and mammalian hosts. AID and APOBEC3G were expressed successfully in Pichia pastoris, each either with an N-terminal GST tag, C-terminal V5-His tag or as untagged native form. It was verified that the yeast-expressed enzymes exhibit identical biochemical properties to those reported using bacterial and mammalian expression, indicating high fidelity of protein folding. It was demonstrated that the system can be adapted for secretion of the enzymes into the media which was used directly in various enzyme assays. The system is also amenable to elimination of bulky fusion tags, providing native untagged enzymes. Thus, P. pastoris is an advantageous expression factory for AID/APOBEC3 enzymes, considering the cost, time, efficiency and quality of the obtained enzymes. The first report is also provided here of a functionally active, untagged, secreted AID, which may become a useful research reagent. A comprehensive comparison is made of the effect of fusion tags and expression hosts on the biochemical actions of AID and APOBEC3G.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faezeh Borzooee
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases Program, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada.
| | - Mani Larijani
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases Program, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada.
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7
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Borzooee F, Joris KD, Grant MD, Larijani M. APOBEC3G Regulation of the Evolutionary Race Between Adaptive Immunity and Viral Immune Escape Is Deeply Imprinted in the HIV Genome. Front Immunol 2019; 9:3032. [PMID: 30687306 PMCID: PMC6338068 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.03032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
APOBEC3G (A3G) is a host enzyme that mutates the genomes of retroviruses like HIV. Since A3G is expressed pre-infection, it has classically been considered an agent of innate immunity. We and others previously showed that the impact of A3G-induced mutations on the HIV genome extends to adaptive immunity also, by generating cytotoxic T cell (CTL) escape mutations. Accordingly, HIV genomic sequences encoding CTL epitopes often contain A3G-mutable “hotspot” sequence motifs, presumably to channel A3G action toward CTL escape. Here, we studied the depths and consequences of this apparent viral genome co-evolution with A3G. We identified all potential CTL epitopes in Gag, Pol, Env, and Nef restricted to several HLA class I alleles. We simulated A3G-induced mutations within CTL epitope-encoding sequences, and flanking regions. From the immune recognition perspective, we analyzed how A3G-driven mutations are predicted to impact CTL-epitope generation through modulating proteasomal processing and HLA class I binding. We found that A3G mutations were most often predicted to result in diminishing/abolishing HLA-binding affinity of peptide epitopes. From the viral genome evolution perspective, we evaluated enrichment of A3G hotspots at sequences encoding CTL epitopes and included control sequences in which the HIV genome was randomly shuffled. We found that sequences encoding immunogenic epitopes exhibited a selective enrichment of A3G hotspots, which were strongly biased to translate to non-synonymous amino acid substitutions. When superimposed on the known mutational gradient across the entire length of the HIV genome, we observed a gradient of A3G hotspot enrichment, and an HLA-specific pattern of the potential of A3G hotspots to lead to CTL escape mutations. These data illuminate the depths and extent of the co-evolution of the viral genome to subvert the host mutator A3G.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faezeh Borzooee
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases Program, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Krista D Joris
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases Program, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Michael D Grant
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases Program, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Mani Larijani
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases Program, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
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A Tumor-Promoting Phorbol Ester Causes a Large Increase in APOBEC3A Expression and a Moderate Increase in APOBEC3B Expression in a Normal Human Keratinocyte Cell Line without Increasing Genomic Uracils. Mol Cell Biol 2018; 39:MCB.00238-18. [PMID: 30348839 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.00238-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) promotes skin cancer in rodents. The mutations found in murine tumors are similar to those found in human skin cancers, and PMA promotes proliferation of human skin cells. PMA treatment of human keratinocytes increases the synthesis of APOBEC3A, an enzyme that converts cytosines in single-stranded DNA to uracil, and mutations in a variety of human cancers are attributed to APOBEC3A or APOBEC3B expression. We tested here the possibility that induction of APOBEC3A by PMA causes genomic accumulation of uracils that may lead to such mutations. When a human keratinocyte cell line was treated with PMA, both APOBEC3A and APOBEC3B gene expression increased, anti-APOBEC3A/APOBEC3B antibody bound a protein(s) in the nucleus, and nuclear extracts displayed cytosine deamination activity. Surprisingly, there was little increase in genomic uracils in PMA-treated wild-type or uracil repair-defective cells. In contrast, cells transfected with a plasmid expressing APOBEC3A acquired more genomic uracils. Unexpectedly, PMA treatment, but not APOBEC3A plasmid transfection, caused a cessation in cell growth. Hence, a reduction in single-stranded DNA at replication forks may explain the inability of PMA-induced APOBEC3A/APOBEC3B to increase genomic uracils. These results suggest that the proinflammatory PMA is unlikely to promote extensive APOBEC3A/APOBEC3B-mediated cytosine deaminations in human keratinocytes.
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