Speed Kills: Advancement in Th17 Cell Adoptive Cell Therapy for Solid Tumors

Construction and validation of a novel lysosomal signature for hepatocellular carcinoma prognosis, diagnosis, and therapeutic decision-making

Lysosomes is a well-recognized oncogenic driver and chemoresistance across variable cancer types, and has been associated with tumor invasiveness, metastasis, and poor prognosis. However, the significance of lysosomes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not well understood. Lysosomes-related genes (LRGs) were downloaded from Genome Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) databases. Lysosome-related risk score (LRRS), including eight LRGs, was constructed via expression difference analysis (DEGs), univariate and LASSO-penalized Cox regression algorithm based on the TCGA cohort, while the ICGC cohort was obtained for signature validation. Based on GSE149614 Single-cell RNA sequencing data, model gene expression and liver tumor niche were further analyzed. Moreover, the functional enrichments, tumor microenvironment (TME), and genomic variation landscape between LRRSlow/LRRShigh subgroup were systematically investigated. A total of 15 Lysosomes-related differentially expressed genes (DELRGs) in HCC were detected, and then 10 prognosis DELRGs were screened out. Finally, the 8 optimal DELRGs (CLN3, GBA, CTSA, BSG, APLN, SORT1, ANXA2, and LAPTM4B) were selected to construct the LRRS prognosis signature of HCC. LRRS was considered as an independent prognostic factor and was associated with advanced clinicopathological features. LRRS also proved to be a potential marker for HCC diagnosis, especially for early-stage HCC. Then, a nomogram integrating the LRRS and clinical parameters was set up displaying great prognostic predictive performance. Moreover, patients with high LRRS showed higher tumor stemness, higher heterogeneity, and higher genomic alteration status than those in the low LRRS group and enriched in metabolism-related pathways, suggesting its underlying role in the progression and development of liver cancer. Meanwhile, the LRRS can affect the proportion of immunosuppressive cell infiltration, making it a vital immunosuppressive factor in the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, HCC patients with low LRRS were more sensitive to immunotherapy, while patients in the high LRRS group responded better to chemotherapy. Upon single-cell RNA sequencing, CLN3, GBA, and LAPTM4B were found to be specially expressed in hepatocytes, where they promoted cell progression. Finally, RT-qPCR and external datasets confirmed the mRNA expression levels of model genes. This study provided a direct links between LRRS signature and clinical characteristics, tumor microenvironment, and clinical drug-response, highlighting the critical role of lysosome in the development and treatment resistance of liver cancer, providing valuable insights into the prognosis prediction and treatment response of HCC, thereby providing valuable insights into prognostic prediction, early diagnosis, and therapeutic response of HCC.

The application of machine learning methods to the prediction of novel ligands for RORγ/RORγT receptors

In this work, we developed and applied a computational procedure for creating and validating predictive models capable of estimating the biological activity of ligands. The combination of modern machine learning methods, experimental data, and the appropriate setup of molecular descriptors led to a set of well-performing models. We thoroughly inspected both the methodological space and various possibilities for creating a chemical feature space. The resulting models were applied to the virtual screening of the ZINC20 database to identify new, biologically active ligands of RORγ receptors, which are a subfamily of nuclear receptors. Based on the known ligands of RORγ, we selected candidates and calculate their predicted activities with the best-performing models. We chose two candidates that were experimentally verified. One of these candidates was confirmed to induce the biological activity of the RORγ receptors, which we consider proof of the efficacy of the proposed methodology.

The screening, identification, design and clinical application of tumor-specific neoantigens for TCR-T cells

Recent advances in neoantigen research have accelerated the development of tumor immunotherapies, including adoptive cell therapies (ACTs), cancer vaccines and antibody-based therapies, particularly for solid tumors. With the development of next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics technology, the rapid identification and prediction of tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) has become possible. Compared with tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), highly immunogenic TSAs provide new targets for personalized tumor immunotherapy and can be used as prospective indicators for predicting tumor patient survival, prognosis, and immune checkpoint blockade response. Here, the identification and characterization of neoantigens and the clinical application of neoantigen-based TCR-T immunotherapy strategies are summarized, and the current status, inherent challenges, and clinical translational potential of these strategies are discussed.

The protective and pathogenic role of Th17 cell plasticity and function in the tumor microenvironment

At the turn of the century, researchers discovered a unique subtype of T helper cells that secretes IL-17 and defined it as Th17. The latest study found that Th17 cells play both positive and negative definitive roles in the regulation of antitumor immune responses. Although the function of Th17 in the tumor microenvironment remains poorly understood, more and more studies have shown that this paradoxical dual role is closely related to the plasticity of Th17 cells in recent decades. Further understanding of the characteristics of Th17 cells in the tumor microenvironment could yield novel and useful therapeutic approaches to treat cancer. In this review, we further present the high plasticity of Th17 cells and the function of Th17-producing IL-17 in tumor immunity.

A budding concept with certain microbiota, anti-proliferative family proteins, and engram theory for the innovative treatment of colon cancer

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a multifactorial chronic disease. Patients with IBD have an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer which has become a major health concern. IBD might exert a role of engrams for making the condition of specific inflammation in the gut. Dysregulation of immune cells induced by the command of engrams might be crucial in the pathogenesis of damages in gut epithelium. The anti-proliferative (APRO) family of anti-proliferative proteins characterized by immediate early responsive gene-products that might be involved in the machinery of the carcinogenesis in IBD. Herein, it is suggested that some probiotics with specific bacteria could prevent the development and/or progression of the IBD related tumors. In addition, consideration regarding the application of studying APRO family proteins for the comprehension of IBD related tumors has been presented. It is hypothesized that overexpression of Tob1, a member of APRO family proteins, in the epithelium of IBD could suppress the function of adjacent cytotoxic immune cells possibly via the paracrine signaling.

A novel pulmonary fibrosis murine model with immune-related liver injury

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), characterized by aggravated alveolar destruction and fibrotic matrix deposition, tendentiously experiences the stage called acute exacerbation IPF (AE-IPF) and progresses to multiple organ damage, especially liver injury. Recent studies have found a variety of immune microenvironment disorders associated with elevated IPF risk and secondary organ injury, whereas current animal models induced with bleomycin (BLM) could not completely reflect the pathological manifestations of AE-IPF patients in clinic, and the exact underlying mechanisms are not yet fully explored. In the current study, we established an AE-IPF model by tracheal administration of a single dose of BLM and then repeated administrations of lipopolysaccharide in mice. This mouse model successfully recapitulated the clinical features of AE-IPF, including excessive intrapulmonary inflammation and fibrosis and extrapulmonary manifestations, as indicated by significant upregulation of Il6, Tnfa, Il1b, Tgfb, fibronectin, and Col1a1 in both lungs and liver and elevated serum aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase levels. These effects might be attributed to the regulation of Th17 cells. By sharing this novel murine model, we expect to provide an appropriate experimental platform to investigate the pathogenesis of AE-IPF coupled with liver injury and contribute to the discovery and development of targeted interventions.

Dual Role of p73 in Cancer Microenvironment and DNA Damage Response

Understanding the mechanisms that regulate cancer progression is pivotal for the development of new therapies. Although p53 is mutated in half of human cancers, its family member p73 is not. At the same time, isoforms of p73 are often overexpressed in cancers and p73 can overtake many p53 functions to kill abnormal cells. According to the latest studies, while p73 represses epithelial–mesenchymal transition and metastasis, it can also promote tumour growth by modulating crosstalk between cancer and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, M2 macrophage polarisation, Th2 T-cell differentiation, and angiogenesis. Thus, p73 likely plays a dual role as a tumor suppressor by regulating apoptosis in response to genotoxic stress or as an oncoprotein by promoting the immunosuppressive environment and immune cell differentiation.