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Azimi M, Manavi MS, Afshinpour M, Khorram R, Vafadar R, Rezaei-Tazangi F, Arabzadeh D, Arabzadeh S, Ebrahimi N, Aref AR. Emerging immunologic approaches as cancer anti-angiogenic therapies. Clin Transl Oncol 2024:10.1007/s12094-024-03667-2. [PMID: 39294514 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-024-03667-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/20/2024]
Abstract
Targeting tumor angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels supporting cancer growth and spread, has been an intense focus for therapy development. However, benefits from anti-angiogenic drugs like bevacizumab have been limited by resistance stemming from activation of compensatory pathways. Recent immunotherapy advances have sparked interest in novel immunologic approaches that can induce more durable vascular pruning and overcome limitations of existing angiogenesis inhibitors. This review comprehensively examines these emerging strategies, including modulating tumor-associated macrophages, therapeutic cancer vaccines, engineered nanobodies and T cells, anti-angiogenic cytokines/chemokines, and immunomodulatory drugs like thalidomide analogs. For each approach, the molecular mechanisms, preclinical/clinical data, and potential advantages over conventional drugs are discussed. Innovative therapeutic platforms like nanoparticle delivery systems are explored. Moreover, the importance of combining agents with distinct mechanisms to prevent resistance is evaluated. As tumors hijack angiogenesis for growth, harnessing the immune system's specificity to disrupt this process represents a promising anti-cancer strategy covered by this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammadreza Azimi
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Saveh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran
| | | | - Maral Afshinpour
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, South Dakota State University (SDSU), Brookings, SD, USA
| | - Roya Khorram
- Bone and Joint Diseases Research Center, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Reza Vafadar
- Department of Orthopeadic Surgery, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Rezaei-Tazangi
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
| | - Danyal Arabzadeh
- Xi'an Jaiotong University Medical Campus, Xi'an Jaiotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Sattar Arabzadeh
- Xi'an Jaiotong University Medical Campus, Xi'an Jaiotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Nasim Ebrahimi
- Genetics Division, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
| | - Amir Reza Aref
- Mass General Cancer Center, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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βIV-spectrin as a stalk cell-intrinsic regulator of VEGF signaling. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1326. [PMID: 35288568 PMCID: PMC8921520 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28933-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Defective angiogenesis underlies over 50 malignant, ischemic and inflammatory disorders yet long-term therapeutic applications inevitably fail, thus highlighting the need for greater understanding of the vast crosstalk and compensatory mechanisms. Based on proteomic profiling of angiogenic endothelial components, here we report βIV-spectrin, a non-erythrocytic cytoskeletal protein, as a critical regulator of sprouting angiogenesis. Early loss of endothelial-specific βIV-spectrin promotes embryonic lethality in mice due to hypervascularization and hemorrhagic defects whereas neonatal depletion yields higher vascular density and tip cell populations in developing retina. During sprouting, βIV-spectrin expresses in stalk cells to inhibit their tip cell potential by enhancing VEGFR2 turnover in a manner independent of most cell-fate determining mechanisms. Rather, βIV-spectrin recruits CaMKII to the plasma membrane to directly phosphorylate VEGFR2 at Ser984, a previously undefined phosphoregulatory site that strongly induces VEGFR2 internalization and degradation. These findings support a distinct spectrin-based mechanism of tip-stalk cell specification during vascular development. Defective angiogenesis remains a high source of morbidity in multiple disorders. Here they show that βIV-spectrin, a membrane-associated cytoskeletal protein, is essential for regulation of endothelial tip cell populations and VEGF signaling during sprouting angiogenesis.
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Rada M, Lazaris A, Kapelanski-Lamoureux A, Mayer TZ, Metrakos P. Tumor microenvironment conditions that favor vessel co-option in colorectal cancer liver metastases: A theoretical model. Semin Cancer Biol 2020; 71:52-64. [PMID: 32920126 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2020.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Vessel co-option is an alternative strategy by which tumour cells vascularize and gain access to nutrients to support tumour growth, survival and metastasis. In vessel co-option, the cancer cells move towards the pre-existing vasculature and hijack them. Vessel co-option is adopted by a wide range of human tumours including colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLM) and is responsible for the effectiveness of treatment in CRCLM. Furthermore, vessel co-option is an intrinsic feature and an acquired mechanism of resistance to anti-angiogenic treatment. In this review, we describe the microenvironment, the molecular players, discovered thus far of co-opting CRCLM lesions and propose a theoretical model. We also highlight key unanswered questions that are critical to improving our understanding of CRCLM vessel co-option and for the development of effective approaches for the treatment of co-opting tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miran Rada
- Cancer Research Program, McGill University Health Centre Research Institute, Montreal, Quebec, H4A3J1, Canada
| | - Anthoula Lazaris
- Cancer Research Program, McGill University Health Centre Research Institute, Montreal, Quebec, H4A3J1, Canada
| | - Audrey Kapelanski-Lamoureux
- Cancer Research Program, McGill University Health Centre Research Institute, Montreal, Quebec, H4A3J1, Canada
| | - Thomas Z Mayer
- Cancer Research Program, McGill University Health Centre Research Institute, Montreal, Quebec, H4A3J1, Canada
| | - Peter Metrakos
- Cancer Research Program, McGill University Health Centre Research Institute, Montreal, Quebec, H4A3J1, Canada.
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Rahat MA, Kzhyshkowska J, Iragavarapu-Charyulu V. Editorial: Targeting Angiogenesis to Treat Autoimmune Diseases and Cancer. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1005. [PMID: 32528478 PMCID: PMC7253682 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michal A Rahat
- Immunotherapy Laboratory, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.,The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Julia Kzhyshkowska
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine and Immunology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.,German Red Cross Blood Service Baden-Württemberg-Hessen, Mannheim, Germany.,Laboratory of Translational Cellular and Molecular Biomedicine, National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
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Rahat MA. Targeting Angiogenesis With Peptide Vaccines. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1924. [PMID: 31440262 PMCID: PMC6694838 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Most cancer peptide vaccinations tested so far are capable of eliciting a strong immune response, but demonstrate poor clinical benefits. Since peptide vaccination is safe and well-tolerated, and several indications suggest that it has clear potential advantages over other modalities of treatment, it is important to investigate the reasons for these clinical failures. In this review, the current state of the art in targeting angiogenic proteins via peptide vaccines is presented, and the underlying reasons for both the successes and the failures are analyzed. The review highlights a number of areas critical for future success, including choice of target antigens, types of peptides used, delivery methods and use of proper adjuvants, and suggests ways to achieve better clinical results in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal A Rahat
- Immunotherapy Laboratory, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.,The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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