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Song D, Ding Y. A new target of radiotherapy combined with immunotherapy: regulatory T cells. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1330099. [PMID: 38259489 PMCID: PMC10800811 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1330099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Radiotherapy is one important treatment for malignant tumours. It is widely believed today that radiotherapy has not only been used as a local tumour treatment method, but also can induce systemic anti-tumour responses by influencing the tumour microenvironment, but its efficacy is limited by the tumour immunosuppression microenvironment. With the advancement of technology, immunotherapy has entered a golden age of rapid development, gradually occupying a place in clinical tumour treatment. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) widely distributing in the tumour microenvironment play an important role in mediating tumour development. This article analyzes immunotherapy, the interaction between Tregs, tumours and radiotherapy. It briefly introduces immunotherapies targeting Tregs, aiming to provide new strategies for radiotherapy combined with Immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yun Ding
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, China
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2
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Combination Treatment of Topical Imiquimod Plus Anti-PD-1 Antibody Exerts Significantly Potent Antitumor Effect. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13163948. [PMID: 34439104 PMCID: PMC8391905 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13163948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The exact mechanisms of the imiquimod (IMQ)-induced antitumor effect have not been fully understood. Although both topical IMQ treatment and anti-PD-1 antibody may be used for primary skin lesions or skin metastases of various cancers, the efficacy of each monotherapy for these lesions is insufficient. Using a murine tumor model and human samples, we aimed to elucidate the detailed mechanisms of the IMQ-induced antitumor effect and analyzed the antitumor effect of combination therapy of topical IMQ plus anti-PD-1 antibody. Topical IMQ significantly suppressed the tumor growth of MC38 in wildtype mice. IMQ upregulated interferon γ (IFN-γ) expression in CD8+ T cells in both the lymph nodes and the tumor, and the antitumor effect was abolished in both Rag1-deficient mice and IFN-γ-deficient mice, indicating that IFN-γ produced by CD8+ T cells play a crucial role in the IMQ-induced antitumor effect. IMQ also upregulated PD-1 expression in T cells as well as PD-L1/PD-L2 expression in myeloid cells, suggesting that IMQ induces not only T-cell activation but also T-cell exhaustion by enhanced PD-1 inhibitory signaling. Combination therapy of topical IMQ plus anti-PD-1 antibody exerted a significantly potent antitumor effect when compared with each single therapy, indicating that the combination therapy is a promising therapy for the skin lesions of various cancers.
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Ai D, Liu G, Li X, Wang Y, Guo M. Calculation of immune cell proportion from batch tumor gene expression profile based on support vector regression. J Bioinform Comput Biol 2020; 18:2050030. [PMID: 32825808 DOI: 10.1142/s0219720020500304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In addition to tumor cells, a large number of immune cells are found in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of cancer patients. Tumor-infiltrating immune cells play an important role in tumor progression and patient outcome. We improved the relative proportion estimation algorithm of immune cells based on RNA-seq gene expression profiling and solved the multiple linear regression model by support vector regression ([Formula: see text]-SVR). These steps resulted in increased robustness of the algorithm and more accurate calculation of the relative proportion of different immune cells in cancer tissues. This method was applied to the analysis of infiltrating immune cells based on 41 pairs of colorectal cancer tissues and normal solid tissues. Specifically, we compared the relative fractions of six types of immune cells in colorectal cancer tissues to those found in normal solid tissue samples. We found that tumor tissues contained a higher proportion of CD8 T cells and neutrophils, while B cells and monocytes were relatively low. Our pipeline for calculating immune cell proportion using gene expression profile data can be freely accessed from GitHub at https://github.com/gutmicrobes/EICS.git.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongmei Ai
- Basic Experimental Center of Natural Science, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, P. R. China.,School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Gang Liu
- Basic Experimental Center of Natural Science, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, P. R. China.,School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoxin Li
- Basic Experimental Center of Natural Science, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, P. R. China.,School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Yuduo Wang
- Basic Experimental Center of Natural Science, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, P. R. China.,School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Man Guo
- Basic Experimental Center of Natural Science, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, P. R. China.,School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, Beijing, P. R. China
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Polymeric nanoparticles encapsulating novel TLR7/8 agonists as immunostimulatory adjuvants for enhanced cancer immunotherapy. Biomaterials 2018; 164:38-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.02.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Revised: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Galvin KC, Dyck L, Marshall NA, Stefanska AM, Walsh KP, Moran B, Higgins SC, Dungan LS, Mills KHG. Blocking retinoic acid receptor-α enhances the efficacy of a dendritic cell vaccine against tumours by suppressing the induction of regulatory T cells. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2013; 62:1273-82. [PMID: 23657628 PMCID: PMC11029272 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-013-1432-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 04/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The immune system has evolved regulatory mechanisms to control immune responses to self-antigens. Regulatory T (Treg) cells play a pivotal role in maintaining immune tolerance, but tumour growth is associated with local immunosuppression, which can subvert effector immune responses. Indeed, the induction and recruitment of Treg cells by tumours is a major barrier in the development of effective immunotherapeutics and vaccines against cancer. Retinoic acid (RA) has been shown to promote conversion of naïve T cells into Treg cells. This study addresses the hypothesis that blocking RA receptor alpha (RARα) may enhance the efficacy of a tumour vaccine by inhibiting the induction of Treg cells. We found that RA significantly enhanced TGF-β-induced expression of Foxp3 on naïve and committed T cells in vitro and that this was blocked by an antagonist of RARα (RARi). In addition, RARi significantly suppressed TGF-β and IL-10 and enhanced IL-12 production by dendritic cells (DC) in response to killed tumour cells or TLR agonists. Furthermore, RARi augmented the efficacy of an antigen-pulsed and TLR-activated DC vaccine, significantly attenuating growth of B16 tumours in vivo and enhancing survival of mice. This protective effect was associated with significant reduction in tumour-infiltrating FoxP3(+) and IL-10(+) Treg cells and a corresponding increase in tumour-infiltrating CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells that secreted IFN-γ. Our findings demonstrate that RARα is an important target for the development of effective anti-tumour immunotherapeutics and for improving the efficacy of cancer vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen C. Galvin
- Immune Regulation Research Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College, 152-160 Pearse St, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Lydia Dyck
- Immune Regulation Research Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College, 152-160 Pearse St, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Neil A. Marshall
- Immune Regulation Research Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College, 152-160 Pearse St, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Anna M. Stefanska
- Immune Regulation Research Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College, 152-160 Pearse St, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Kevin P. Walsh
- Immune Regulation Research Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College, 152-160 Pearse St, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Barry Moran
- Immune Regulation Research Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College, 152-160 Pearse St, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Sarah C. Higgins
- Immune Regulation Research Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College, 152-160 Pearse St, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Lara S. Dungan
- Immune Regulation Research Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College, 152-160 Pearse St, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Kingston H. G. Mills
- Immune Regulation Research Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College, 152-160 Pearse St, Dublin 2, Ireland
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Modulation of tumor immunity by soluble and membrane-bound molecules at the immunological synapse. Clin Dev Immunol 2013; 2013:450291. [PMID: 23533456 PMCID: PMC3606757 DOI: 10.1155/2013/450291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2012] [Accepted: 01/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
To circumvent pathology caused by infectious microbes and tumor growth, the host immune system must constantly clear harmful microorganisms and potentially malignant transformed cells. This task is accomplished in part by T-cells, which can directly kill infected or tumorigenic cells. A crucial event determining the recognition and elimination of detrimental cells is antigen recognition by the T cell receptor (TCR) expressed on the surface of T cells. Upon binding of the TCR to cognate peptide-MHC complexes presented on the surface of antigen presenting cells (APCs), a specialized supramolecular structure known as the immunological synapse (IS) assembles at the T cell-APC interface. Such a structure involves massive redistribution of membrane proteins, including TCR/pMHC complexes, modulatory receptor pairs, and adhesion molecules. Furthermore, assembly of the immunological synapse leads to intracellular events that modulate and define the magnitude and characteristics of the T cell response. Here, we discuss recent literature on the regulation and assembly of IS and the mechanisms evolved by tumors to modulate its function to escape T cell cytotoxicity, as well as novel strategies targeting the IS for therapy.
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Coe D, Addey C, White M, Harwood N, Dyson J, Chai JG. Distinct in vivo CD8 and CD4 T cell responses against normal and malignant tissues. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2013; 62:101-12. [PMID: 22806093 PMCID: PMC11028943 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-012-1316-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2012] [Accepted: 07/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Normal tissue and tumour grafts expressing the same alloantigens often elicit distinct immune responses whereby only normal tissue is rejected. To investigate the mechanisms that underlie these distinct outcomes, we compared the responses of adoptively transferred HY-specific conventional (CD8 and CD4) or regulatory T (Treg) cells in mice bearing HY-expressing tumour, syngeneic male skin graft or both. For local T cell priming, T cell re-circulation, graft localization and retention, skin grafts were more efficient than tumours. Skin grafts were also capable of differentiating CD4 T cells into functional Th1 cells. Donor T cell responses were inversely correlated with tumour progression. When skin graft and tumour transplants were performed sequentially, contemporary graft and tumour burden enhanced CD8 but reduced CD4 T cell responses causing accelerated skin-graft rejection without influencing tumour growth. Although both skin grafts and tumours were able to expand HY-specific Treg cells in draining lymph node (dLN), the proportion of tumour-infiltrating Treg cells was significantly higher than that within skin grafts, correlating with accelerated tumour growth. Moreover, there was a higher level of HY antigen presentation by host APC in tumour-dLN than in graft-dLN. Finally, tumour tissues expressed a significant higher level of IDO, TGFβ, IL10 and Arginase I than skin grafts, indicating that malignant but not normal tissue represents a stronger immunosuppressive environment. These comparisons provide important insight into the in vivo mechanisms that conspire to compromise tumour-specific adaptive immunity and identify new targets for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Coe
- Section of Immunobiology, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Caroline Addey
- Section of Immunobiology, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Matthew White
- Section of Immunobiology, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Nida Harwood
- Section of Immunobiology, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Julian Dyson
- Section of Immunobiology, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Jian-Guo Chai
- Section of Immunobiology, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN UK
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Wang Y, Ma Y, Fang Y, Wu S, Liu L, Fu D, Shen X. Regulatory T cell: a protection for tumour cells. J Cell Mol Med 2012; 16:425-36. [PMID: 21895966 PMCID: PMC3822920 DOI: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2011.01437.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2011] [Accepted: 08/04/2011] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Characterized by immunosuppression regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a key role in maintaining immune tolerance. A growing number of tumours have been found with Tregs accumulating in microenvironment and patients with high density of Tregs in tumour stroma get a worse prognosis, which suggests that Tregs may inhibit anti-tumour immunity in stroma, resulting in a poor prognosis. In this paper, we demonstrate the accumulation of Tregs in tumour stroma and the possible suppressive mechanisms. We also state the immunotherapy that has being used in animal and clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Wang
- *Correspondence to: Fu DA, Ph.D., Xizhong SHEN, M.D., The Department of Gastroenterology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China. Tel.: +86-21-54230545, +86-21-64041990 Fax: +86-21-54230545, +86-21-64038038 E-mail: ,
| | | | - Ying Fang
- The Department of Gastroenterology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Shengdi Wu
- The Department of Gastroenterology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Lili Liu
- The Department of Gastroenterology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Da Fu
- The Department of Gastroenterology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Xizhong Shen
- The Department of Gastroenterology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
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Abstract
Characterized by immunosuppression regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a key role in maintaining immune tolerance. A growing number of tumours have been found with Tregs accumulating in microenvironment and patients with high density of Tregs in tumour stroma get a worse prognosis, which suggests that Tregs may inhibit anti-tumour immunity in stroma, resulting in a poor prognosis. In this paper, we demonstrate the accumulation of Tregs in tumour stroma and the possible suppressive mechanisms. We also state the immunotherapy that has being used in animal and clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Wang
- The Department of Gastroenterology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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The desmoplastic stroma plays an essential role in the accumulation and modulation of infiltrated immune cells in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Clin Dev Immunol 2011; 2011:212810. [PMID: 22190968 PMCID: PMC3235447 DOI: 10.1155/2011/212810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2011] [Revised: 08/22/2011] [Accepted: 09/05/2011] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Tumor microenvironment is composed of tumor cells, fibroblasts, and infiltrating immune cells, which all work together and create an inflammatory environment favoring tumor progression. The present study aimed to investigate the role of the desmoplastic stroma in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) regarding expression of inflammatory factors and infiltration of immune cells and their impact on the clinical outcome. The PDAC tissues examined expressed significantly increased levels of immunomodulatory and chemotactic factors (IL-6, TGFβ, IDO, COX-2, CCL2, and CCL20) and immune cell-specific markers corresponding to macrophages, myeloid, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (DCs) as compared to controls. Furthermore, short-time survivors had the lowest levels of DC markers. Immunostainings indicated that the different immune cells and inflammatory factors are mainly localized to the desmoplastic stroma. Therapies modulating the inflammatory tumor microenvironment to promote the attraction of DCs and differentiation of monocytes into functional DCs might improve the survival of PDAC patients.
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Addey C, White M, Dou L, Coe D, Dyson J, Chai JG. Functional Plasticity of Antigen-Specific Regulatory T Cells in Context of Tumor. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 186:4557-64. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1003797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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