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Rados M, Landegger A, Schmutzler L, Rabidou K, Taschner-Mandl S, Fetahu IS. Natural killer cells in neuroblastoma: immunological insights and therapeutic perspectives. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2024:10.1007/s10555-024-10212-8. [PMID: 39294470 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-024-10212-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 09/10/2024] [Indexed: 09/20/2024]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells have multifaceted roles within the complex tumor milieu. They are pivotal components of innate immunity and shape the dynamic landscape of tumor-immune cell interactions, and thus can be leveraged for use in therapeutic interventions. NK-based immunotherapies have had remarkable success in hematological malignancies, but these therapies are met with many challenges in solid tumors, including neuroblastoma (NB), a childhood tumor arising from the sympathetic nervous system. With a focus on NB, this review outlines the mechanisms employed by NK cells to recognize and eliminate malignant cells, delving into the dynamic relationship between ligand-receptor interactions, cytokines, and other molecules that facilitate the cross talk between NK and NB cells. We discuss the immunomodulatory functions of NK cells and the mechanisms that contribute to loss of this immunosurveillance in NB, with a focus on how this dynamic has been utilized in recent immunotherapy advancements for NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Rados
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Lukas Schmutzler
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Kimberlie Rabidou
- Department of Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | | | - Irfete S Fetahu
- Department of Neurology, Division of Neuropathology and Neurochemistry, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Wang JX, Zhang HY, Yan ZJ, Cao ZY, Shao JB, Zou L. Identification and validation of a novel five-gene signature in high-risk MYCN-not-amplified neuroblastoma. Discov Oncol 2024; 15:456. [PMID: 39292372 DOI: 10.1007/s12672-024-01318-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/19/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE High-risk neuroblastoma patients often have poor outcomes despite multi-treatment options. The risk stratification of high-risk MYCN-not-amplified (HR-MYCN-NA) patients remains difficult. This study aims to identify a gene set signature that can help further stratify HR-MYCN-NA patients for a potential personalized therapeutic strategy. METHODS Three microarrays and one single-cell RNA sequence dataset were acquired and analyzed. Firstly, the prognostic-related genes (PRGs) in HR-MYCN-NA tumor cells were identified using TARGET-NB and GSE137804 datasets. Then, the prognostic model was established by LASSO-Cox regression, and verified in external cohort (GSE49710, GSE45547). Moreover, a time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and area under the ROC (AUC) was used to assess survival prediction. A nomogram was established to predict the 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) of HR-MYCN-NA patients. RESULTS In the training set, a five-PRGs signature, which include GAL, GFRA3, MARCKS, PSMD13, and ZNHIT3 genes, was identified and successfully stratified HR-MYCN-NA patients into ultra-high risk (UHR) and high-risk (HR) subtypes (HR = 4.29, P < 0.001). ROC curve analysis confirmed its predictive power (AUC = 0.74-0.82), suggesting a good predictive efficacy. Consistently, high-risk scores also predicted worse OS (HR = 2, P = 0.033) in the external validation dataset (AUC = 0.67-0.71). Moreover, the overall C-index of the nomogram was 0.75 (P < 0.001), which indicated good agreement between the observed and predicted survival rates. Further integrating the five PRGs signature with clinical factors, these 5 gene signature (HR = 4.45, P < 0.001) and tumor grade (HR = 4.15, P = 0.02) were found to be independent prognostic factors for HR-MYCN-NA patients. CONCLUSION The novel five PRGs signature could well predict the survival of HR-MYCN-NA patients, which may provide constructive information for these subsets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Xia Wang
- Clinical Research Unit, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China
- Institute of Pediatric Infection, Immunity, and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Hong-Yang Zhang
- Clinical Research Unit, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China
- Institute of Pediatric Infection, Immunity, and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Zi-Jun Yan
- Clinical Research Unit, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China
- Institute of Pediatric Infection, Immunity, and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Zi-Yang Cao
- Clinical Research Unit, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China
- Institute of Pediatric Infection, Immunity, and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Jing-Bo Shao
- Department of Hematology and Cancer, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China.
| | - Lin Zou
- Clinical Research Unit, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China.
- Institute of Pediatric Infection, Immunity, and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China.
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Luo W, Hoang H, Zhu H, Miller K, Mo X, Eguchi S, Tian M, Liao Y, Ayello J, Rosenblum JM, Marcondes M, Currier M, Mardis E, Cripe T, Lee D, Cairo MS. Circumventing resistance within the Ewing sarcoma microenvironment by combinatorial innate immunotherapy. J Immunother Cancer 2024; 12:e009726. [PMID: 39266215 PMCID: PMC11404285 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2024-009726] [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] [Accepted: 08/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pediatric patients with recurrent/metastatic Ewing sarcoma (ES) have a dismal 5-year survival. Novel therapeutic approaches are desperately needed. Natural killer (NK) cell number and function are low in ES patient tumors, in large part due to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) is highly expressed on ES and associated with ES metastasis. NKTR-255 is a polymer-conjugated recombinant human interleukin-15 (IL-15) agonist improving NK cell activity and persistence. Magrolimab (MAG) is a CD47 blockade that reactivates the phagocytic activity of macrophages. METHODS Transcriptome profiling coupled with CIBERSORT analyses in both ES mouse xenografts and human patient tumors were performed to identify mechanisms of NK resistance in ES TME. A chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) NK cell targeting MCAM was engineered by CAR mRNA electroporation into ex vivo expanded NK cells. In vitro cytotoxicity assays were performed to investigate the efficacy of anti-MCAM-CAR-NK cell alone or combined with NKTR-255 against ES cells. Interferon-γ and perforin levels were measured by ELISA. The effect of MAG on macrophage phagocytosis of ES cells was evaluated by in vitro phagocytosis assays. Cell-based and patient-derived xenograft (PDX)-based xenograft mouse models of ES were used to investigate the antitumor efficacy of CAR-NK alone and combined with NKTR-255 and MAG in vivo. RESULTS We found that NK cell infiltration and activity were negatively regulated by tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) in ES TME. Expression of anti-MCAM CAR significantly and specifically enhanced NK cytotoxic activity against MCAMhigh but not MCAM-knockout ES cells in vitro, and significantly reduced lung metastasis and extended animal survival in vivo. NKTR-255 and MAG significantly enhanced in vitro CAR-NK cytotoxicity and macrophage phagocytic activity against ES cells, respectively. By combining with NKTR-255 and MAG, the anti-MCAM-CAR-NK cell significantly decreased primary tumor growth and prolonged animal survival in both cell- and PDX-based ES xenograft mouse models. CONCLUSIONS Our preclinical studies demonstrate that immunotherapy via the innate immune system by combining tumor-targeting CAR-NK cells with an IL-15 agonist and a CD47 blockade is a promising novel therapeutic approach to targeting MCAMhigh malignant metastatic ES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Luo
- Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Microbiology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Hai Hoang
- Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Hongwen Zhu
- Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Katherine Miller
- The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Pediatric Hem/Onc/BMT, Nationwide Children's Hospital Hematology Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplant, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Xiaokui Mo
- Biomedical Informatics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Shiori Eguchi
- Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Meijuan Tian
- Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Yanling Liao
- Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Janet Ayello
- Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Jeremy M Rosenblum
- Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | | | - Mark Currier
- The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Elaine Mardis
- The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Pediatric Hem/Onc/BMT, Nationwide Children's Hospital Hematology Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplant, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Timothy Cripe
- Pediatric Hem/Onc/BMT, Nationwide Children's Hospital Hematology Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplant, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Dean Lee
- Pediatric Hem/Onc/BMT, Nationwide Children's Hospital Hematology Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplant, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Mitchell S Cairo
- Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
- Departments of Pathology, Immunology and Microbiology, Medicine, Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
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Mao C, Poimenidou M, Craig BT. Current Knowledge and Perspectives of Immunotherapies for Neuroblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2865. [PMID: 39199637 PMCID: PMC11353182 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16162865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2024] [Revised: 08/02/2024] [Accepted: 08/12/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NBL) cells highly express disialoganglioside GD2, which is restricted and weakly expressed in selected healthy cells, making it a desirable target of immunotherapy. Over the past two decades, application of dinutuximab, an anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody (mAb), has been one of the few new therapies to substantially improve outcomes to current levels. Given the persistent challenge of relapse and therapeutic resistance, there is an urgent need for new effective and tolerable treatment options for high-risk NBL. Recent breakthroughs in immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapeutics have not translated into high-risk NBL, like many other major pediatric solid tumors. Given the suppressed tumor microenvironment (TME), single ICIs like anti-CTLA4 and anti-PD1 have not demonstrated significant antitumor response rates. Meanwhile, emerging studies are reporting novel advancements in GD2-based therapies, targeted therapies, nanomedicines, and other immunotherapies such as adoptive transfer of natural killer (NK) cells and chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), and these hold interesting promise for the future of high-risk NBL patient care. Herein, we summarize the current state of the art in NBL therapeutic options and highlight the unique challenges posed by NBL that have limited the successful adoption of immune-modifying therapies. Through this review, we aim to direct the field's attention to opportunities that may benefit from a combination immunotherapy strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenkai Mao
- Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
- Center for Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
| | - Maria Poimenidou
- Center for Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
| | - Brian T. Craig
- Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
- Center for Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
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Metts J, Rodriguez-Valentin M, Hensel J, Alfaro A, Snyder CW, Binitie O, Chebli C, Monforte H, Pilon-Thomas S, Mullinax J. Expansion of tumor-infiltrating and marrow-infiltrating lymphocytes from pediatric malignant solid tumors. Cytotherapy 2024:S1465-3249(24)00825-9. [PMID: 39243253 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2024.08.002] [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: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 07/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The expansion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) for adoptive cellular therapy is under investigation in many solid tumors of adulthood. Marrow-infiltrating lymphocytes (MIL) have demonstrated antitumor reactivity preclinically. Successful expansion of TIL/MIL has not been reported across pediatric solid tumor histologies. The objective of this study was to demonstrate successful expansion of TIL from pediatric solid tumors for translation in an adoptive cell therapy (ACT) treatment strategy. METHODS A prospective study of TIL/MIL expansion was performed on solid tumors of pediatric patients undergoing standard-of-care procedures. TIL/MIL expansions were performed in the presence of high-dose interleukin 2. To demonstrate a full-scale expansion to clinically-relevant cell doses for TIL therapy, initial TIL culture was followed by a rapid expansion protocol for select patients. Expanded specimens were analyzed for phenotype by flow cytometry and for anti-tumor reactivity by the interferon-gamma release assay. RESULTS Eighteen tumor samples were obtained. Initial TIL cultures were successfully generated from 14/18 samples (77.7%). A median of 5.52 × 107 (range: 2.5 × 106-3.23 × 108) cells were produced from initial cultures, with 46.9% expressing a CD3 phenotype (46.9%). Eight samples underwent rapid expansion, demonstrating a median 458-fold expansion and a CD3 phenotype of 98%. Initial MIL cultures were successfully generated from five samples, with a predominantly CD3 phenotype (45.2%). Sufficient tumor tissue was only available for seven TIL samples to be tested for reactivity; none demonstrated responsiveness to autologous tumor. CONCLUSIONS TIL and MIL expansion from pediatric solid tumors was successful, including the full-scale expansion process. This data supports translation to an ACT-TIL treatment strategy in the pediatric population and thus a Phase I trial of ACT-TIL in pediatric high-risk solid tumors is planned.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Metts
- Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St Petersburg, Florida, USA; Departments of Sarcoma, Immunology, and Cutaneous Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA.
| | | | | | - Alex Alfaro
- Departments of Sarcoma, Immunology, and Cutaneous Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Christopher W Snyder
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St Petersburg, Florida, USA
| | - Odion Binitie
- Departments of Sarcoma, Immunology, and Cutaneous Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Caroline Chebli
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, James A Haley Veteran's Administration Hospital, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Hector Monforte
- Section of Anatomic Pathology, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St Petersburg, Florida, USA
| | - Shari Pilon-Thomas
- Departments of Sarcoma, Immunology, and Cutaneous Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - John Mullinax
- Departments of Sarcoma, Immunology, and Cutaneous Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
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Kaufman ME, Vayani OR, Moore K, Chlenski A, Wu T, Lee SM, Desai AV, He C, Cohn SL, Applebaum MA. Characterizing Relationships between T-cell Inflammation and Outcomes in Patients with High-Risk Neuroblastoma According to Mesenchymal and Adrenergic Signatures. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:2255-2266. [PMID: 39099200 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-24-0214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Revised: 07/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Recent insights have identified adrenergic (ADRN) and mesenchymal (MES) cell lineages as distinct biologic cell types and T-cell inflammation as a prognostic marker in neuroblastoma. We hypothesized that elucidating unique and overlapping aspects of these biologic features could serve as novel biomarkers for informing ongoing efforts to improve therapeutic approaches for children with high-risk neuroblastoma. We identified lineage-specific, single-stranded super-enhancers to define ADRN and MES specific genes. Publicly available RNA-seq of diagnostic tumor biopsies was used in Discovery and Validation cohorts. Each tumor was assigned a relative MES score and T-cell inflammation (TCI) score. Survival was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences were assessed by the log-rank test. Inflammation scores were correlated with MES scores and anticorrelated with MYCN-amplification in both cohorts. Among patients with high-risk, ADRN tumors, those with TCI tumors had superior overall survival to those with non-inflamed tumors. A similar, but nonsignificant, trend was observed in the Validation cohort. Conversely, there was no difference according to TCI status in the MES cohort in either the Discover or Validation cohorts. High-inflammation scores were correlated with improved survival in some patients with high-risk, ADRN but not MES neuroblastoma. Our findings bolster support for further developing T-cell-based and immunotherapy-based approaches for children with high-risk neuroblastoma of varying MES and ADRN expression. SIGNIFICANCE Adrenergic (ADRN) and mesenchymal (MES) lineages are distinct biologic cell types in neuroblastoma. We defined ADRN and MES specific genes and found that high-risk, ADRN tumors harboring elevated T-cell inflammation signatures had superior overall survival. Our findings bolster support for further developing immunotherapy-based approaches for children with high-risk neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria E Kaufman
- The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Omar R Vayani
- The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Kelley Moore
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology/Oncology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Alexandre Chlenski
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology/Oncology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Tong Wu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Sang Mee Lee
- Biostatistics Laboratory and Research Computing Group, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Ami V Desai
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology/Oncology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Chuan He
- Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase. Maryland
| | - Susan L Cohn
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology/Oncology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Mark A Applebaum
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology/Oncology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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Principe DR, Pasquinelli MM, Nguyen RH, Munshi HG, Hulbert A, Aissa AF, Weinberg F. Loss of STK11 Suppresses Lipid Metabolism and Attenuates KRAS-Induced Immunogenicity in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:2282-2294. [PMID: 39113608 PMCID: PMC11362717 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-24-0153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024]
Abstract
As many as 30% of the patients with non-small cell lung cancer harbor oncogenic KRAS mutations, which leads to extensive remodeling of the tumor immune microenvironment. Although co-mutations in several genes have prognostic relevance in KRAS-mutated patients, their effect on tumor immunogenicity are poorly understood. In the present study, a total of 189 patients with non-small cell lung cancer underwent a standardized analysis including IHC, whole-exome DNA sequencing, and whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing. Patients with activating KRAS mutations demonstrated a significant increase in PDL1 expression and CD8+ T-cell infiltration. Both were increased in the presence of a co-occurring TP53 mutation and lost with STK11 co-mutation. Subsequent genomic analysis demonstrated that KRAS/TP53 co-mutated tumors had a significant decrease in the expression of glycolysis-associated genes and an increase in several genes involved in lipid metabolism, notably lipoprotein lipase, low-density lipoprotein receptor, and LDLRAD4. Conversely, in the immune-excluded KRAS/STK11 co-mutated group, we observed diminished lipid metabolism and no change in anaerobic glycolysis. Interestingly, in patients with low expression of lipoprotein lipase, low-density lipoprotein receptor, or LDLRAD4, KRAS mutations had no effect on tumor immunogenicity. However, in patients with robust expression of these genes, KRAS mutations were associated with increased immunogenicity and associated with improved overall survival. Our data further suggest that the loss of STK11 may function as a metabolic switch, suppressing lipid metabolism in favor of glycolysis, thereby negating KRAS-induced immunogenicity. Hence, this concept warrants continued exploration, both as a predictive biomarker and potential target for therapy in patients receiving ICI-based immunotherapy. SIGNIFICANCE In patients with lung cancer, we demonstrate that KRAS mutations increase tumor immunogenicity; however, KRAS/STK11 co-mutated patients display an immune-excluded phenotype. KRAS/STK11 co-mutated patients also demonstrated significant downregulation of several key lipid metabolism genes, many of which were associated with increased immunogenicity and improved overall survival in KRAS-mutated patients. Hence, alteration to lipid metabolism warrants further study as a potential biomarker and target for therapy in patients with KRAS-mutated lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mary M. Pasquinelli
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
| | - Ryan H. Nguyen
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Illinois Chicago and Translational Oncology Program, University of Illinois Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois.
| | - Hidayatullah G. Munshi
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Illinois Chicago and Translational Oncology Program, University of Illinois Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois.
- Department of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
| | - Alicia Hulbert
- Department of Surgery, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
| | - Alexandre F. Aissa
- Division of Genetics, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Frank Weinberg
- The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois.
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Qin LJ, Xu H, Li LP, Li SH, Xu SY, Chen K, Yang T, Wang FH, Zuo L, Zeng L, Wang HY. CD20 highCD138 low tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes predominantly related to cytokine‒cytokine receptor interactions are associated with favorable outcomes in neuroblastoma patients. Heliyon 2024; 10:e30901. [PMID: 38774103 PMCID: PMC11107243 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent advances have revealed that the role of the immune system is prominent in the antitumor response. In the present study, it is aimed to provide an expression profile of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), including mature B cells, plasma cells, and their clinical relevance in neuroblastoma. The expression of CD20 and CD138 was analyzed in the Cangelosi786 dataset (n = 769) as a training dataset and in our cohort (n = 120) as a validation cohort. CD20 high expression was positively associated with favorable overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) (OS: P < 0.001; EFS: P < 0.001) in the training dataset, whereas CD138 high expression was associated with poor OS and EFS (OS: P < 0.001; EFS: P < 0.001) in both the training and validation datasets. Accordingly, a combined pattern of CD20 and CD138 expression was developed, whereby neuroblastoma patients with CD20highCD138low expression had a consistently favorable OS and EFS compared with those with CD20lowCD138high expression in both the training and validation cohorts (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.01, respectively). Examination of potential molecular functions revealed that signaling pathways, including cytokine‒cytokine receptor interactions, chemokine, and the NF-kappa B signaling pathways, were involved. Differentially expressed genes, such as BMP7, IL7R, BIRC3, CCR7, CXCR5, CCL21, and CCL19, predominantly play important roles in predicting the survival of neuroblastoma patients. Our study proposes that a new combination of CD20 and CD138 signatures is associated with neuroblastoma patient survival. The related signaling pathways reflect the close associations among the number of TILs, cytokine abundance and patient outcomes and provide therapeutic insights into neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang-Jun Qin
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, 510623, China
| | - Hui Xu
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, 510623, China
| | - Li-Ping Li
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, 510623, China
| | - Shu-Hua Li
- Department of Paediatric Outpatient, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, 510623, China
| | - Shuo-Yu Xu
- Bio-totem Pte. Ltd., Foshan, 528231, China
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Kai Chen
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, 510623, China
| | - Tianyou Yang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, 510623, China
| | - Feng-Hua Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, 510623, China
| | - Liandong Zuo
- Department of Andrology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510623, China
| | - Liang Zeng
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, 510623, China
| | - Hai-Yun Wang
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, 510623, China
- Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, 510623, China
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Qin X, Lam A, Zhang X, Sengupta S, Iorgulescu JB, Ni H, Das S, Rager M, Zhou Z, Zuo T, Meara GK, Floru AE, Kemet C, Veerapaneni D, Kashy D, Lin L, Lloyd K, Kwok L, Smith KS, Nagaraju RT, Meijers R, Ceol C, Liu CT, Alexandrescu S, Wu CJ, Keskin DB, George RE, Feng H. CKLF instigates a "cold" microenvironment to promote MYCN-mediated tumor aggressiveness. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadh9547. [PMID: 38489372 PMCID: PMC10942121 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh9547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Solid tumors, especially those with aberrant MYCN activation, often harbor an immunosuppressive microenvironment to fuel malignant growth and trigger treatment resistance. Despite this knowledge, there are no effective strategies to tackle this problem. We found that chemokine-like factor (CKLF) is highly expressed by various solid tumor cells and transcriptionally up-regulated by MYCN. Using the MYCN-driven high-risk neuroblastoma as a model system, we demonstrated that as early as the premalignant stage, tumor cells secrete CKLF to attract CCR4-expressing CD4+ cells, inducing immunosuppression and tumor aggression. Genetic depletion of CD4+ T regulatory cells abolishes the immunorestrictive and protumorigenic effects of CKLF. Our work supports that disrupting CKLF-mediated cross-talk between tumor and CD4+ suppressor cells represents a promising immunotherapeutic approach to battling MYCN-driven tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodan Qin
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew Lam
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xu Zhang
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Satyaki Sengupta
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J. Bryan Iorgulescu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Department of Hematopathology, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hongru Ni
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sanjukta Das
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Bhubanesw, India
| | - Madison Rager
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhenwei Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tao Zuo
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Grace K. Meara
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alexander E. Floru
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Chinyere Kemet
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Divya Veerapaneni
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel Kashy
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Liang Lin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Lauren Kwok
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kaylee S. Smith
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Raghavendar T. Nagaraju
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Colorectal and Peritoneal Oncology Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Rob Meijers
- Institute for Protein Innovation, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Craig Ceol
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Ching-Ti Liu
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sanda Alexandrescu
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Catherine J. Wu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Derin B. Keskin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Translational Immunogenomics Laboratory, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Section for Bioinformatics, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
- Department of Computer Science, Metropolitan College, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rani E. George
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hui Feng
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
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10
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Lim WC, Marques Da Costa ME, Godefroy K, Jacquet E, Gragert L, Rondof W, Marchais A, Nhiri N, Dalfovo D, Viard M, Labaied N, Khan AM, Dessen P, Romanel A, Pasqualini C, Schleiermacher G, Carrington M, Zitvogel L, Scoazec JY, Geoerger B, Salmon J. Divergent HLA variations and heterogeneous expression but recurrent HLA loss-of- heterozygosity and common HLA-B and TAP transcriptional silencing across advanced pediatric solid cancers. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1265469. [PMID: 38318504 PMCID: PMC10839790 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1265469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system is a major factor controlling cancer immunosurveillance and response to immunotherapy, yet its status in pediatric cancers remains fragmentary. We determined high-confidence HLA genotypes in 576 children, adolescents and young adults with recurrent/refractory solid tumors from the MOSCATO-01 and MAPPYACTS trials, using normal and tumor whole exome and RNA sequencing data and benchmarked algorithms. There was no evidence for narrowed HLA allelic diversity but discordant homozygosity and allele frequencies across tumor types and subtypes, such as in embryonal and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma MYCN and 11q subtypes, and high-grade glioma, and several alleles may represent protective or susceptibility factors to specific pediatric solid cancers. There was a paucity of somatic mutations in HLA and antigen processing and presentation (APP) genes in most tumors, except in cases with mismatch repair deficiency or genetic instability. The prevalence of loss-of-heterozygosity (LOH) ranged from 5.9 to 7.7% in HLA class I and 8.0 to 16.7% in HLA class II genes, but was widely increased in osteosarcoma and glioblastoma (~15-25%), and for DRB1-DQA1-DQB1 in Ewing sarcoma (~23-28%) and low-grade glioma (~33-50%). HLA class I and HLA-DR antigen expression was assessed in 194 tumors and 44 patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) by immunochemistry, and class I and APP transcript levels quantified in PDXs by RT-qPCR. We confirmed that HLA class I antigen expression is heterogeneous in advanced pediatric solid tumors, with class I loss commonly associated with the transcriptional downregulation of HLA-B and transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) genes, whereas class II antigen expression is scarce on tumor cells and occurs on immune infiltrating cells. Patients with tumors expressing sufficient HLA class I and TAP levels such as some glioma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma and non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft-tissue sarcoma cases may more likely benefit from T cell-based approaches, whereas strategies to upregulate HLA expression, to expand the immunopeptidome, and to target TAP-independent epitopes or possibly LOH might provide novel therapeutic opportunities in others. The consequences of HLA class II expression by immune cells remain to be established. Immunogenetic profiling should be implemented in routine to inform immunotherapy trials for precision medicine of pediatric cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan Ching Lim
- INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- Bioinformatics Platform, AMMICA, INSERM US23/CNRS UMS3655, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- School of Data Sciences, Perdana University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Karine Godefroy
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Translational Research Laboratory and Biobank, AMMICA, INSERM US23/CNRS UMS3655, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Eric Jacquet
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR2301, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Loren Gragert
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Windy Rondof
- INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- Bioinformatics Platform, AMMICA, INSERM US23/CNRS UMS3655, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Antonin Marchais
- INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- Bioinformatics Platform, AMMICA, INSERM US23/CNRS UMS3655, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Naima Nhiri
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR2301, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Davide Dalfovo
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Mathias Viard
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, United States
- Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Nizar Labaied
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Translational Research Laboratory and Biobank, AMMICA, INSERM US23/CNRS UMS3655, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Asif M. Khan
- School of Data Sciences, Perdana University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Philippe Dessen
- Bioinformatics Platform, AMMICA, INSERM US23/CNRS UMS3655, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Alessandro Romanel
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Claudia Pasqualini
- INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Oncology, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Gudrun Schleiermacher
- INSERM U830, Recherche Translationnelle en Oncologie Pédiatrique (RTOP), and SIREDO Oncology Center (Care, Innovation and Research for Children and AYA with Cancer), PSL Research University, Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | - Mary Carrington
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, United States
- Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Laurence Zitvogel
- INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Jean-Yves Scoazec
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Translational Research Laboratory and Biobank, AMMICA, INSERM US23/CNRS UMS3655, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Birgit Geoerger
- INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Oncology, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Jerome Salmon
- INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
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11
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Song M, Huang Y, Hong Y, Liu J, Zhu J, Lu S, Wang J, Sun F, Huang J, Xu J, Tang Y, Xia JC, Zhang Y. PD-L1-expressing natural killer cells predict favorable prognosis and response to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade in neuroblastoma. Oncoimmunology 2023; 13:2289738. [PMID: 38125723 PMCID: PMC10732605 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2023.2289738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
T/NK cell-based immunotherapy has achieved remarkable success in adult cancers but has limited efficacy in pediatric malignancies including high-risk neuroblastoma (NB). Immune defects of NB tumor microenvironment are poorly understood compared with adults. Here, we described the unique characteristics of NB immune contexture and determined the phenotype signatures of PD-L1-expressing CD8+ T and NK cells in NB tumors by systemically analyzing the spatial distribution of T and NK cells and the distinct expression of programmed death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) in patients with NB. We found that PD-L1-expressing CD8+ T and NK cells in NB tumors were highly activated and functionally competent and associated with better clinical outcomes. Intratumoral NK cells were a favorable prognostic biomarker independent of CD8+ T cells, PD-1/PD-L1 expression, tumor stage, MYCN amplification, and risk classification. NK cells combined with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies showed potent antitumor activity against both MYCN-amplified and non-amplified NBs in vitro and in vivo, and PD-L1-expressing NK cells associated with improved antitumor efficacy. Collectively, we raise novel insights into the role of PD-L1 expression on CD8+ T-cell and NK-cell activation. We highlight the great potential of intratumoral NK cells in better defining risk stratification, and predicting survival and response to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy in NB. These findings explain why single anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy may not be successful in NB, suggesting its combination with NK cell-adoptive cellular therapy as a promising strategy for relapsing/refractory NB. This study provides a potential prospect that patients with PD-L1-expressing NK cells may respond to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengjia Song
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yue Huang
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ye Hong
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Juan Liu
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jia Zhu
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Suying Lu
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Juan Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Feifei Sun
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junting Huang
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiaqian Xu
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan Tang
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jian-Chuan Xia
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yizhuo Zhang
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
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12
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Cheng H, Zhang L, Yang S, Ren Q, Chang S, Jin Y, Mou W, Qin H, Yang W, Zhang X, Zhang W, Wang H. Integration of clinical characteristics and molecular signatures of the tumor microenvironment to predict the prognosis of neuroblastoma. J Mol Med (Berl) 2023; 101:1421-1436. [PMID: 37712965 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-023-02372-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics, cell types, and molecular characteristics of the tumor microenvironment to better predict the prognosis of neuroblastoma (NB). The gene expression data and corresponding clinical information of 498 NB patients were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO: GSE62564) and ArrayExpress (accession: E-MTAB-8248). The relative cell abundances were estimated using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) with the R gene set variation analysis (GSVA) package. We performed Cox regression analyses to identify marker genes indicating cell subsets and combined these with prognostically relevant clinical factors to develop a new prognostic model. Data from the E-MTAB-8248 cohort verified the predictive accuracy of the prognostic model. Single-cell RNA-seq data were analyzed by using the R Seurat package. Multivariate survival analysis for each gene, using clinical characteristics as cofactors, identified 34 prognostic genes that showed a significant correlation with both event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) (log-rank test, P value < 0.05). The pathway enrichment analysis revealed that these prognostic genes were highly enriched in the marker genes of NB cells with mesenchymal features and protein translation. Ultimately, USP39, RPL8, IL1RAPL1, MAST4, CSRP2, ATP5E, International Neuroblastoma Staging System (INSS) stage, age, and MYCN status were selected to build an optimized Cox model for NB risk stratification. These samples were divided into two groups using the median of the risk score as a cutoff. The prognosis of samples in the poor prognosis group (PP) was significantly worse than that of samples in the good prognosis group (GP) (log-rank test, P value < 0.0001, median EFS: 640.5 vs. 2247 days, median OS: 1279.5 vs. 2519 days). The risk model was also regarded as a prognostic indicator independent of MYCN status, age, and stage. Finally, through scRNA-seq data, we found that as an important prognostic marker, USP39 might participate in the regulation of RNA splicing in NB. Our study established a multivariate Cox model based on gene signatures and clinical characteristics to better predict the prognosis of NB and revealed that mesenchymal signature genes of NB cells, especially USP39, were more abundant in patients with a poor prognosis than in those with a good prognosis. KEY MESSAGES: Our study established a multivariate Cox model based on gene signatures and clinical characteristics to better predict the prognosis of NB and revealed that mesenchymal signature genes of NB cells, especially USP39, were more abundant in patients with a poor prognosis than in those with a good prognosis. USP39, RPL8, IL1RAPL1, MAST4, CSRP2, ATP5E, International Neuroblastoma Staging System (INSS) stage, age, and MYCN status were selected to build an optimized Cox model for NB risk stratification. These samples were divided into two groups using the median of the risk score as a cutoff. The prognosis of samples in the poor prognosis group (PP) was significantly worse than that of samples in the good prognosis group (GP). Finally, through scRNA-seq data, we found that as an important prognostic marker, USP39 might participate in the regulation of RNA splicing in NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyan Cheng
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
| | - Shen Yang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Qinghua Ren
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Saishuo Chang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Yaqiong Jin
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Pediatric Diseases of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Wenjun Mou
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Hong Qin
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Wei Yang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Xianwei Zhang
- Zhengzhou Key Laboratory of Precise Diagnosis and Treatment of Children's Malignant Tumors, Department of Pediatric Oncology Surgery, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, 450018, China
| | - Wancun Zhang
- Zhengzhou Key Laboratory of Precise Diagnosis and Treatment of Children's Malignant Tumors, Department of Pediatric Oncology Surgery, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, 450018, China
| | - Huanmin Wang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China.
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13
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Pouliou M, Koutsi MA, Champezou L, Giannopoulou AI, Vatsellas G, Piperi C, Agelopoulos M. MYCN Amplifications and Metabolic Rewiring in Neuroblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4803. [PMID: 37835497 PMCID: PMC10571721 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15194803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a disease caused by (epi)genomic and gene expression abnormalities and characterized by metabolic phenotypes that are substantially different from the normal phenotypes of the tissues of origin. Metabolic reprogramming is one of the key features of tumors, including those established in the human nervous system. In this work, we emphasize a well-known cancerous genomic alteration: the amplification of MYCN and its downstream effects in neuroblastoma phenotype evolution. Herein, we extend our previous computational biology investigations by conducting an integrative workflow applied to published genomics datasets and comprehensively assess the impact of MYCN amplification in the upregulation of metabolism-related transcription factor (TF)-encoding genes in neuroblastoma cells. The results obtained first emphasized overexpressed TFs, and subsequently those committed in metabolic cellular processes, as validated by gene ontology analyses (GOs) and literature curation. Several genes encoding for those TFs were investigated at the mechanistic and regulatory levels by conducting further omics-based computational biology assessments applied on published ChIP-seq datasets retrieved from MYCN-amplified- and MYCN-enforced-overexpression within in vivo systems of study. Hence, we approached the mechanistic interrelationship between amplified MYCN and overexpression of metabolism-related TFs in neuroblastoma and showed that many are direct targets of MYCN in an amplification-inducible fashion. These results illuminate how MYCN executes its regulatory underpinnings on metabolic processes in neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marialena Pouliou
- Center of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, Greece; (M.P.); (M.A.K.); (L.C.); (G.V.)
| | - Marianna A. Koutsi
- Center of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, Greece; (M.P.); (M.A.K.); (L.C.); (G.V.)
| | - Lydia Champezou
- Center of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, Greece; (M.P.); (M.A.K.); (L.C.); (G.V.)
| | - Angeliki-Ioanna Giannopoulou
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 M. Asias Street Bldg 16, 11527 Athens, Greece;
| | - Giannis Vatsellas
- Center of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, Greece; (M.P.); (M.A.K.); (L.C.); (G.V.)
| | - Christina Piperi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 M. Asias Street Bldg 16, 11527 Athens, Greece;
| | - Marios Agelopoulos
- Center of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, Greece; (M.P.); (M.A.K.); (L.C.); (G.V.)
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14
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Nabbi A, Beck P, Delaidelli A, Oldridge DA, Sudhaman S, Zhu K, Yang SYC, Mulder DT, Bruce JP, Paulson JN, Raman P, Zhu Y, Resnick AC, Sorensen PH, Sill M, Brabetz S, Lambo S, Malkin D, Johann PD, Kool M, Jones DTW, Pfister SM, Jäger N, Pugh TJ. Transcriptional immunogenomic analysis reveals distinct immunological clusters in paediatric nervous system tumours. Genome Med 2023; 15:67. [PMID: 37679810 PMCID: PMC10486055 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-023-01219-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer immunotherapies including immune checkpoint inhibitors and Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy have shown variable response rates in paediatric patients highlighting the need to establish robust biomarkers for patient selection. While the tumour microenvironment in adults has been widely studied to delineate determinants of immune response, the immune composition of paediatric solid tumours remains relatively uncharacterized calling for investigations to identify potential immune biomarkers. METHODS To inform immunotherapy approaches in paediatric cancers with embryonal origin, we performed an immunogenomic analysis of RNA-seq data from 925 treatment-naïve paediatric nervous system tumours (pedNST) spanning 12 cancer types from three publicly available data sets. RESULTS Within pedNST, we uncovered four broad immune clusters: Paediatric Inflamed (10%), Myeloid Predominant (30%), Immune Neutral (43%) and Immune Desert (17%). We validated these clusters using immunohistochemistry, methylation immune inference and segmentation analysis of tissue images. We report shared biology of these immune clusters within and across cancer types, and characterization of specific immune cell frequencies as well as T- and B-cell repertoires. We found no associations between immune infiltration levels and tumour mutational burden, although molecular cancer entities were enriched within specific immune clusters. CONCLUSIONS Given the heterogeneity of immune infiltration within pedNST, our findings suggest personalized immunogenomic profiling is needed to guide selection of immunotherapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arash Nabbi
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Princess Margaret Cancer Research Tower, Room 9-305, MaRS Centre, 101 College Street, Toronto, M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Pengbo Beck
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), B062, Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Alberto Delaidelli
- Department of Molecular Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Derek A Oldridge
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sumedha Sudhaman
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Kelsey Zhu
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Princess Margaret Cancer Research Tower, Room 9-305, MaRS Centre, 101 College Street, Toronto, M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - S Y Cindy Yang
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Princess Margaret Cancer Research Tower, Room 9-305, MaRS Centre, 101 College Street, Toronto, M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - David T Mulder
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Princess Margaret Cancer Research Tower, Room 9-305, MaRS Centre, 101 College Street, Toronto, M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Jeffrey P Bruce
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Princess Margaret Cancer Research Tower, Room 9-305, MaRS Centre, 101 College Street, Toronto, M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Joseph N Paulson
- Department of Biostatistics, Genentech Inc, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Pichai Raman
- Division of Neurosurgery, Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics and Center for Data-Driven Discovery in Biomedicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yuankun Zhu
- Division of Neurosurgery, Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics and Center for Data-Driven Discovery in Biomedicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Adam C Resnick
- Division of Neurosurgery, Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics and Center for Data-Driven Discovery in Biomedicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Poul H Sorensen
- Department of Molecular Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Martin Sill
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), B062, Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Brabetz
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), B062, Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sander Lambo
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), B062, Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - David Malkin
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Pascal D Johann
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), B062, Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marcel Kool
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), B062, Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - David T W Jones
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Glioma Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan M Pfister
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), B062, Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Natalie Jäger
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), B062, Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Trevor J Pugh
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Princess Margaret Cancer Research Tower, Room 9-305, MaRS Centre, 101 College Street, Toronto, M5G 1L7, Canada.
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Canada.
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15
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Bagatell R, DuBois SG, Naranjo A, Belle J, Goldsmith KC, Park JR, Irwin MS. Children's Oncology Group's 2023 blueprint for research: Neuroblastoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2023; 70 Suppl 6:e30572. [PMID: 37458162 PMCID: PMC10587593 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.30572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most common extra-cranial solid tumor in children and is known for its clinical heterogeneity. A greater understanding of the biology of this disease has led to both improved risk stratification and new approaches to therapy. Outcomes for children with low and intermediate risk disease are excellent overall, and efforts to decrease therapy for such patients have been largely successful. Although survival has improved over time for patients with high-risk disease and treatments evaluated in the relapse setting are now being moved into earlier phases of treatment, much work remains to improve survival and decrease therapy-related toxicities. Studies of highly annotated biobanked samples continue to lead to important insights regarding neuroblastoma biology. Such studies, along with correlative biology studies incorporated into therapeutic trials, are expected to continue to provide insights that lead to new and more effective therapies. A focus on translational science is accompanied by an emphasis on new agent development, optimized risk stratification, and international collaboration to address questions relevant to molecularly defined subsets of patients. In addition, the COG Neuroblastoma Committee is committed to addressing the patient/family experience, mitigating late effects of therapy, and studying social determinants of health in patients with neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rochelle Bagatell
- Department of Pediatrics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Steven G DuBois
- Department of Pediatrics, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Arlene Naranjo
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Jen Belle
- Children's Oncology Group, Monrovia, California, USA
| | - Kelly C Goldsmith
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Inc Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Julie R Park
- Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital Department of Oncology, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Meredith S Irwin
- Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
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16
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Guo M, Zhao L, Jiang C, Jia CC, Liu H, Zhou W, Songyang Z, Xiong Y. Multiomics analyses reveal pathological mechanisms of HBV infection and integration in liver cancer. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e28980. [PMID: 37522289 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and integration are important for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) initiation and progression, while disease mechanisms are still largely elusive. Here, we combined bulk and single-cell sequencing technologies to tackle the disease mechanisms of HBV-related HCC. We observed high HBV mutation rate and diversity only in tumors without HBV integration. We identified human somatic risk loci for HBV integration (VIMs). Transcription factors (TFs) enriched in VIMs were involved in DNA repair and androgen receptor (AR) signaling. Aberration of AR signaling was further observed by single-cell regulon analysis in HBV-infected hepatocytes, which showed remarkable interactions between AR and the complement system that, together with the X-linked ZXDB regulon that contains albumin (ALB), probably contribute to HCC male predominance. Complement system dysregulation caused by HBV infection was further confirmed by analyses of single-cell copy numbers and cell-cell communications. Finally, HBV infection-associated immune cells presented critical defects, including TXNIP in T cells, TYROBP in NK cells, and the X-linked TIMP1 in monocytes. We further experimentally validated our findings in multiple independent patient cohorts. Collectively, our work shed light on the pathogenesis of HBV-related HCC and other liver diseases that affect billions of people worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengbiao Guo
- Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Healthy Aging Research, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Linghao Zhao
- Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chen Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Healthy Aging Research, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chang-Chang Jia
- Cell-Gene Therapy Translational Medicine Research Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hui Liu
- Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Weiping Zhou
- Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhou Songyang
- Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Healthy Aging Research, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuanyan Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Healthy Aging Research, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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17
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Kaufman ME, Vayani OR, Moore K, Chlenski A, Wu T, Chavez G, Lee SM, Desai AV, He C, Cohn SL, Applebaum MA. T-cell inflammation is prognostic of survival in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma enriched for an adrenergic signature. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.26.546541. [PMID: 37425883 PMCID: PMC10326980 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.26.546541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Purpose T-cell inflammation (TCI) has been shown to be a prognostic marker in neuroblastoma, a tumor comprised of cells that can exist in two epigenetic states, adrenergic (ADRN) and mesenchymal (MES). We hypothesized that elucidating unique and overlapping aspects of these biologic features could serve as novel biomarkers. Patients and Methods We detected lineage-specific, single-stranded super-enhancers defining ADRN and MES specific genes. Publicly available neuroblastoma RNA-seq data from GSE49711 (Cohort 1) and TARGET (Cohort 2) were assigned MES, ADRN, and TCI scores. Tumors were characterized as MES (top 33%) or ADRN (bottom 33%), and TCI (top 67% TCI score) or non-inflamed (bottom 33% TCI score). Overall survival (OS) was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences were assessed by the log-rank test. Results We identified 159 MES genes and 373 ADRN genes. TCI scores were correlated with MES scores (R=0.56, p<0.001 and R=0.38, p<0.001) and anticorrelated with MYCN -amplification (R=-0.29, p<0.001 and -0.18, p=0.03) in both cohorts. Among Cohort 1 patients with high-risk, ADRN tumors (n=59), those with TCI tumors (n=22) had superior OS to those with non-inflammed tumors (n=37) (p=0.01), though this comparison did not reach significance in Cohort 2. TCI status was not associated with survival in patients with high-risk MES tumors in either cohort. Conclusions High inflammation scores were correlated with improved survival in some high-risk patients with, ADRN but not MES neuroblastoma. These findings have implications for approaches to treating high-risk neuroblastoma.
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18
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Vonderhaar EP, Dwinell MB, Craig BT. Targeted immune activation in pediatric solid tumors: opportunities to complement local control approaches. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1202169. [PMID: 37426669 PMCID: PMC10325564 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1202169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Surgery or radiation therapy is nearly universally applied for pediatric solid tumors. In many cases, in diverse tumor types, distant metastatic disease is present and evades surgery or radiation. The systemic host response to these local control modalities may lead to a suppression of antitumor immunity, with potential negative impact on the clinical outcomes for patients in this scenario. Emerging evidence suggests that the perioperative immune responses to surgery or radiation can be modulated therapeutically to preserve anti-tumor immunity, with the added benefit of preventing these local control approaches from serving as pro-tumorigenic stimuli. To realize the potential benefit of therapeutic modulation of the systemic response to surgery or radiation on distant disease that evades these modalities, a detailed knowledge of the tumor-specific immunology as well as the immune responses to surgery and radiation is imperative. In this Review we highlight the current understanding of the tumor immune microenvironment for the most common peripheral pediatric solid tumors, the immune responses to surgery and radiation, and current evidence that supports the potential use of immune activating agents in the perioperative window. Finally, we define existing knowledge gaps that limit the current translational potential of modulating perioperative immunity to achieve effective anti-tumor outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily P. Vonderhaar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Center for Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Michael B. Dwinell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Center for Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Cancer Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Brian T. Craig
- Center for Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
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19
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Gundem G, Levine MF, Roberts SS, Cheung IY, Medina-Martínez JS, Feng Y, Arango-Ossa JE, Chadoutaud L, Rita M, Asimomitis G, Zhou J, You D, Bouvier N, Spitzer B, Solit DB, Dela Cruz F, LaQuaglia MP, Kushner BH, Modak S, Shukla N, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA, Kung AL, Cheung NKV, Papaemmanuil E. Clonal evolution during metastatic spread in high-risk neuroblastoma. Nat Genet 2023; 55:1022-1033. [PMID: 37169874 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01395-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Patients with high-risk neuroblastoma generally present with widely metastatic disease and often relapse despite intensive therapy. As most studies to date focused on diagnosis-relapse pairs, our understanding of the genetic and clonal dynamics of metastatic spread and disease progression remain limited. Here, using genomic profiling of 470 sequential and spatially separated samples from 283 patients, we characterize subtype-specific genetic evolutionary trajectories from diagnosis through progression and end-stage metastatic disease. Clonal tracing timed disease initiation to embryogenesis. Continuous acquisition of structural variants at disease-defining loci (MYCN, TERT, MDM2-CDK4) followed by convergent evolution of mutations targeting shared pathways emerged as the predominant feature of progression. At diagnosis metastatic clones were already established at distant sites where they could stay dormant, only to cause relapses years later and spread via metastasis-to-metastasis and polyclonal seeding after therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunes Gundem
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Computational Oncology Service, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Max F Levine
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Computational Oncology Service, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Stephen S Roberts
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Irene Y Cheung
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Juan S Medina-Martínez
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Computational Oncology Service, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yi Feng
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Juan E Arango-Ossa
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Computational Oncology Service, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Loic Chadoutaud
- Computational Oncology Service, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mathieu Rita
- Computational Oncology Service, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Georgios Asimomitis
- Computational Oncology Service, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joe Zhou
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Computational Oncology Service, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daoqi You
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nancy Bouvier
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Barbara Spitzer
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - David B Solit
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology, New York, NY, USA
| | - Filemon Dela Cruz
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael P LaQuaglia
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brian H Kushner
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shakeel Modak
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Neerav Shukla
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christine A Iacobuzio-Donahue
- The David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Andrew L Kung
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nai-Kong V Cheung
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elli Papaemmanuil
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Computational Oncology Service, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
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20
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Rivera Z, Escutia C, Madonna MB, Gupta KH. Biological Insight and Recent Advancement in the Treatment of Neuroblastoma. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108470. [PMID: 37239815 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the most frequent solid tumors in children is neuroblastoma, which has a variety of clinical behaviors that are mostly influenced by the biology of the tumor. Unique characteristics of neuroblastoma includes its early age of onset, its propensity for spontaneous tumor regression in newborns, and its high prevalence of metastatic disease at diagnosis in individuals older than 1 year of age. Immunotherapeutic techniques have been added to the previously enlisted chemotherapeutic treatments as therapeutic choices. A groundbreaking new treatment for hematological malignancies is adoptive cell therapy, specifically chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. However, due to the immunosuppressive nature of the tumor microenvironment (TME) of neuroblastoma tumor, this treatment approach faces difficulties. Numerous tumor-associated genes and antigens, including the MYCN proto-oncogene (MYCN) and disialoganglioside (GD2) surface antigen, have been found by the molecular analysis of neuroblastoma cells. The MYCN gene and GD2 are two of the most useful immunotherapy findings for neuroblastoma. The tumor cells devise numerous methods to evade immune identification or modify the activity of immune cells. In addition to addressing the difficulties and potential advancements of immunotherapies for neuroblastoma, this review attempts to identify important immunological actors and biological pathways involved in the dynamic interaction between the TME and immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoriamin Rivera
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Carlos Escutia
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Mary Beth Madonna
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Kajal H Gupta
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
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21
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Ash S, Askenasy N. Immunotherapy for neuroblastoma by hematopoietic cell transplantation and post-transplant immunomodulation. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2023; 185:103956. [PMID: 36893946 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2023.103956] [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: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma represents a relatively common childhood tumor that imposes therapeutic difficulties. High risk neuroblastoma patients have poor prognosis, display limited response to radiochemotherapy and may be treated by hematopoietic cell transplantation. Allogeneic and haploidentical transplants have the distinct advantage of reinstitution of immune surveillance, reinforced by antigenic barriers. The key factors favorable to ignition of potent anti-tumor reactions are transition to adaptive immunity, recovery from lymphopenia and removal of inhibitory signals that inactivate immune cells at the local and systemic levels. Post-transplant immunomodulation may further foster anti-tumor reactivity, with positive but transient impact of infusions of lymphocytes and natural killer cells both from the donor, the recipient or third party. The most promising approaches include introduction of antigen-presenting cells in early post-transplant stages and neutralization of inhibitory signals. Further studies will likely shed light on the nature and actions of suppressor factors within tumor stroma and at the systemic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shifra Ash
- Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel; Frankel Laboratory of Bone Marrow Transplantation, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel.
| | - Nadir Askenasy
- Frankel Laboratory of Bone Marrow Transplantation, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel
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22
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Mills CM, Benton TZ, Piña I, Francis MJ, Reyes L, Dolloff NG, Peterson YK, Woster PM. Stimulation of natural killer cells with small molecule inhibitors of CD38 for the treatment of neuroblastoma. Chem Sci 2023; 14:2168-2182. [PMID: 36845935 PMCID: PMC9945084 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc05749b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
High-risk neuroblastoma (NB) accounts for 15% of all pediatric cancer deaths. Refractory disease for high-risk NB patients is attributed to chemotherapy resistance and immunotherapy failure. The poor prognosis for high-risk NB patients demonstrates an unmet medical need for the development of new, more efficacious therapeutics. CD38 is an immunomodulating protein that is expressed constitutively on natural killer (NK) cells and other immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Furthermore, CD38 over expression is implicated in propagating an immunosuppressive milieu within the TME. Through virtual and physical screening, we have identified drug-like small molecule inhibitors of CD38 with low micromolar IC50 values. We have begun to explore structure activity relationships for CD38 inhibition through derivatization of our most effective hit molecule to develop a new compound with lead-like physicochemical properties and improved potency. We have demonstrated that our derivatized inhibitor, compound 2, elicits immunomodulatory effects in NK cells by increasing cell viability by 190 ± 36% in multiple donors and by significantly increasing interferon gamma. Additionally, we have illustrated that NK cells exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity toward NB cells (14% reduction of NB cells over 90 minutes) when given a combination treatment of our inhibitor and the immunocytokine ch14.18-IL2. Herein we describe the synthesis and biological evaluation of small molecule CD38 inhibitors and demonstrate their potential utility as a novel approach to NB immunotherapy. These compounds represent the first examples of small molecules that stimulate immune function for the treatment of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M Mills
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| | - Thomas Z Benton
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| | - Ivett Piña
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| | - Megan J Francis
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| | - Leticia Reyes
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| | - Nathan G Dolloff
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| | - Yuri K Peterson
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| | - Patrick M Woster
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
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23
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Jacoberger-Foissac C, Cousineau I, Bareche Y, Allard D, Chrobak P, Allard B, Pommey S, Messaoudi N, McNicoll Y, Soucy G, Koseoglu S, Masia R, Lake AC, Seo H, Eeles CB, Rohatgi N, Robson SC, Turcotte S, Haibe-Kains B, Stagg J. CD73 Inhibits cGAS-STING and Cooperates with CD39 to Promote Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Immunol Res 2023; 11:56-71. [PMID: 36409930 PMCID: PMC9812927 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-22-0260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The ectonucleotidases CD39 and CD73 catalyze extracellular ATP to immunosuppressive adenosine, and as such, represent potential cancer targets. We investigated biological impacts of CD39 and CD73 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by studying clinical samples and experimental mouse tumors. Stromal CD39 and tumoral CD73 expression significantly associated with worse survival in human PDAC samples and abolished the favorable prognostic impact associated with the presence of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells. In mouse transplanted KPC tumors, both CD39 and CD73 on myeloid cells, as well as CD73 on tumor cells, promoted polarization of infiltrating myeloid cells towards an M2-like phenotype, which enhanced tumor growth. CD39 on tumor-specific CD8+ T cells and pancreatic stellate cells also suppressed IFNγ production by T cells. Although therapeutic inhibition of CD39 or CD73 alone significantly delayed tumor growth in vivo, targeting of both ectonucleotidases exhibited markedly superior antitumor activity. CD73 expression on human and mouse PDAC tumor cells also protected against DNA damage induced by gemcitabine and irradiation. Accordingly, large-scale pharmacogenomic analyses of human PDAC cell lines revealed significant associations between CD73 expression and gemcitabine chemoresistance. Strikingly, increased DNA damage in CD73-deficient tumor cells associated with activation of the cGAS-STING pathway. Moreover, cGAS expression in mouse KPC tumor cells was required for antitumor activity of the CD73 inhibitor AB680 in vivo. Our study, thus, illuminates molecular mechanisms whereby CD73 and CD39 seemingly cooperate to promote PDAC progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Célia Jacoberger-Foissac
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Montreal., Cancer Axis, Centre de Recherche Du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada., Institut du Cancer de Montréal
| | - Isabelle Cousineau
- Cancer Axis, Centre de Recherche Du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada., Institut du Cancer de Montréal
| | - Yacine Bareche
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Montreal., Cancer Axis, Centre de Recherche Du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada., Institut du Cancer de Montréal
| | - David Allard
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Montreal., Cancer Axis, Centre de Recherche Du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada., Institut du Cancer de Montréal
| | - Pavel Chrobak
- Cancer Axis, Centre de Recherche Du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada., Institut du Cancer de Montréal
| | - Bertrand Allard
- Cancer Axis, Centre de Recherche Du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada., Institut du Cancer de Montréal
| | - Sandra Pommey
- Cancer Axis, Centre de Recherche Du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada., Institut du Cancer de Montréal
| | - Nouredin Messaoudi
- Department of Surgery, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium., Department of Surgery, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel and Europe Hospitals, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Yannic McNicoll
- Surgery Department, Hôpital Jean-Talon, CIUSSS NIM, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Geneviève Soucy
- Pathology Service, Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Ricard Masia
- Surface Oncology, Inc. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Heewon Seo
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christopher B. Eeles
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Neha Rohatgi
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Simon C. Robson
- Center for Inflammation Research, Gastroenterology, Departments of Medicine and Anesthesia, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Simon Turcotte
- Cancer Axis, Centre de Recherche Du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada., Institut du Cancer de Montréal., Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery & Liver Transplantation Service, Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Benjamin Haibe-Kains
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada., Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - John Stagg
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Montreal., Cancer Axis, Centre de Recherche Du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada., Institut du Cancer de Montréal.,Correspondence: 900 St-Denis Street, Montréal, QC, Canada, H2X 0A9; ; Tel: 514-890-8000 ex:25170
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24
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Valind A, Verhoeven BM, Enoksson J, Karlsson J, Christensson G, Mañas A, Aaltonen K, Jansson C, Bexell D, Baryawno N, Gisselsson D, Hagerling C. Macrophage infiltration promotes regrowth in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma after chemotherapy. Oncoimmunology 2023; 12:2184130. [PMID: 36875552 PMCID: PMC9980604 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2023.2184130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite aggressive treatment, the 5-year event-free survival rate for children with high-risk neuroblastoma is <50%. While most high-risk neuroblastoma patients initially respond to treatment, often with complete clinical remission, many eventually relapse with therapy-resistant tumors. Novel therapeutic alternatives that prevent the recurrence of therapy-resistant tumors are urgently needed. To understand the adaptation of neuroblastoma under therapy, we analyzed the transcriptomic landscape in 46 clinical tumor samples collected before (PRE) or after (POST) treatment from 22 neuroblastoma patients. RNA sequencing revealed that many of the top-upregulated biological processes in POST MYCN amplified (MNA+) tumors compared to PRE MNA+ tumors were immune-related, and there was a significant increase in numerous genes associated with macrophages. The infiltration of macrophages was corroborated by immunohistochemistry and spatial digital protein profiling. Moreover, POST MNA+ tumor cells were more immunogenic compared to PRE MNA+ tumor cells. To find support for the macrophage-induced outgrowth of certain subpopulations of immunogenic tumor cells following treatment, we examined the genetic landscape in multiple clinical PRE and POST tumor samples from nine neuroblastoma patients revealing a significant correlation between an increased amount of copy number aberrations (CNA) and macrophage infiltration in POST MNA+ tumor samples. Using an in vivo neuroblastoma patient-derived xenograft (PDX) chemotherapy model, we further show that inhibition of macrophage recruitment with anti-CSF1R treatment prevents the regrowth of MNA+ tumors following chemotherapy. Taken together, our work supports a therapeutic strategy for fighting the relapse of MNA+ neuroblastoma by targeting the immune microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Valind
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, Sweden Karolinska Institute, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Pediatrics, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Bronte Manouk Verhoeven
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Healthy, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jens Enoksson
- Department of Pathology, Laboratory Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Jenny Karlsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, Sweden Karolinska Institute, Lund, Sweden
| | - Gustav Christensson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, Sweden Karolinska Institute, Lund, Sweden
| | - Adriana Mañas
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Kristina Aaltonen
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Caroline Jansson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, Sweden Karolinska Institute, Lund, Sweden
| | - Daniel Bexell
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ninib Baryawno
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Healthy, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - David Gisselsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, Sweden Karolinska Institute, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Pathology, Laboratory Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Catharina Hagerling
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, Sweden Karolinska Institute, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Pathology, Laboratory Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
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25
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Desai AV, Gilman AL, Ozkaynak MF, Naranjo A, London WB, Tenney SC, Diccianni M, Hank JA, Parisi MT, Shulkin BL, Smith M, Moscow JA, Shimada H, Matthay KK, Cohn SL, Maris JM, Bagatell R, Sondel PM, Park JR, Yu AL. Outcomes Following GD2-Directed Postconsolidation Therapy for Neuroblastoma After Cessation of Random Assignment on ANBL0032: A Report From the Children's Oncology Group. J Clin Oncol 2022; 40:4107-4118. [PMID: 35839426 PMCID: PMC9746736 DOI: 10.1200/jco.21.02478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Postconsolidation immunotherapy including dinutuximab, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and interleukin-2 improved outcomes for patients with high-risk neuroblastoma enrolled on the randomized portion of Children's Oncology Group study ANBL0032. After random assignment ended, all patients were assigned to immunotherapy. Survival and toxicities were assessed. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with a pre-autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) response (excluding bone marrow) of partial response or better were eligible. Demographics, stage, tumor biology, pre-ASCT response, and adverse events were summarized using descriptive statistics. Event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) from time of enrollment (up to day +200 from last ASCT) were evaluated. RESULTS From 2009 to 2015, 1,183 patients were treated. Five-year EFS and OS for the entire cohort were 61.1 ± 1.9% and 71.9 ± 1.7%, respectively. For patients ≥ 18 months old at diagnosis with International Neuroblastoma Staging System stage 4 disease (n = 662) 5-year EFS and OS were 57.0 ± 2.4% and 70.9 ± 2.2%, respectively. EFS was superior for patients with complete response/very good partial response pre-ASCT compared with those with PR (5-year EFS: 64.2 ± 2.2% v 55.4 ± 3.2%, P = .0133); however, OS was not significantly different. Allergic reactions, capillary leak, fever, and hypotension were more frequent during interleukin-2-containing cycles than granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-containing cycles (P < .0001). EFS was superior in patients with higher peak dinutuximab levels during cycle 1 (P = .034) and those with a high affinity FCGR3A genotype (P = .0418). Human antichimeric antibody status did not correlate with survival. CONCLUSION Analysis of a cohort assigned to immunotherapy after cessation of random assignment on ANBL0032 confirmed previously described survival and toxicity outcomes. EFS was highest among patients with end-induction complete response/very good partial response. Among patients with available data, higher dinutuximab levels and FCGR3A genotype were associated with superior EFS. These may be predictive biomarkers for dinutuximab therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mehmet Fevzi Ozkaynak
- Maria Fareri Children's Hospital Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY
| | - Arlene Naranjo
- Children's Oncology Group Statistics and Data Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Wendy B. London
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Sheena C. Tenney
- Children's Oncology Group Statistics and Data Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | | | | | - Marguerite T. Parisi
- Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
| | | | - Malcolm Smith
- Clinical Investigations Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
| | - Jeffrey A. Moscow
- Investigational Drug Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
| | | | | | | | - John M. Maris
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Rochelle Bagatell
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Paul M. Sondel
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI
| | - Julie R. Park
- Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
| | - Alice L. Yu
- University of California in San Diego, San Diego, CA
- Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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26
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Sherif S, Roelands J, Mifsud W, Ahmed EI, Raynaud CM, Rinchai D, Sathappan A, Maaz A, Saleh A, Ozer E, Fakhro KA, Mifsud B, Thorsson V, Bedognetti D, Hendrickx WRL. The immune landscape of solid pediatric tumors. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2022; 41:199. [PMID: 35690832 PMCID: PMC9188257 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02397-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Large immunogenomic analyses have demonstrated the prognostic role of the functional orientation of the tumor microenvironment in adult solid tumors, this variable has been poorly explored in the pediatric counterpart.
Methods
We performed a systematic analysis of public RNAseq data (TARGET) for five pediatric tumor types (408 patients): Wilms tumor (WLM), neuroblastoma (NBL), osteosarcoma (OS), clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK) and rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (RT). We assessed the performance of the Immunologic Constant of Rejection (ICR), which captures an active Th1/cytotoxic response. We also performed gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) and clustered more than 100 well characterized immune traits to define immune subtypes and compared their outcome.
Results
A higher ICR score was associated with better survival in OS and high risk NBL without MYCN amplification but with poorer survival in WLM. Clustering of immune traits revealed the same five principal modules previously described in adult tumors (TCGA). These modules divided pediatric patients into six immune subtypes (S1-S6) with distinct survival outcomes. The S2 cluster showed the best overall survival, characterized by low enrichment of the wound healing signature, high Th1, and low Th2 infiltration, while the reverse was observed in S4. Upregulation of the WNT/Beta-catenin pathway was associated with unfavorable outcomes and decreased T-cell infiltration in OS.
Conclusions
We demonstrated that extracranial pediatric tumors could be classified according to their immune disposition, unveiling similarities with adults’ tumors. Immunological parameters might be explored to refine diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and to identify potential immune-responsive tumors.
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Genome wide DNA methylation analysis identifies novel molecular subgroups and predicts survival in neuroblastoma. Br J Cancer 2022; 127:2006-2015. [PMID: 36175618 PMCID: PMC9681858 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-022-01988-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroblastoma is the most common malignancy in infancy, accounting for 15% of childhood cancer deaths. Outcome for the high-risk disease remains poor. DNA-methylation patterns are significantly altered in all cancer types and can be utilised for disease stratification. METHODS Genome-wide DNA methylation (n = 223), gene expression (n = 130), genetic/clinical data (n = 213), whole-exome sequencing (n = 130) was derived from the TARGET study. Methylation data were derived from HumanMethylation450 BeadChip arrays. t-SNE was used for the segregation of molecular subgroups. A separate validation cohort of 105 cases was studied. RESULTS Five distinct neuroblastoma molecular subgroups were identified, based on genome-wide DNA-methylation patterns, with unique features in each, including three subgroups associated with known prognostic features and two novel subgroups. As expected, Cluster-4 (infant diagnosis) had significantly better 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) than the four other clusters. However, in addition, the molecular subgrouping identified multiple patient subsets with highly increased risk, most notably infant patients that do not map to Cluster-4 (PFS 50% vs 80% for Cluster-4 infants, P = 0.005), and allowed identification of subgroup-specific methylation differences that may reflect important biological differences within neuroblastoma. CONCLUSIONS Methylation-based clustering of neuroblastoma reveals novel molecular subgroups, with distinct molecular/clinical characteristics and identifies a subgroup of higher-risk infant patients.
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Transcriptional Profiling Reveals Mesenchymal Subtypes of Small Cell Lung Cancer with Activation of the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition and Worse Clinical Outcomes. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14225600. [PMID: 36428693 PMCID: PMC9688413 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14225600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
While molecular subtypes of small cell lung cancers (SCLC) based on neuroendocrine (NE) and non-NE transcriptional regulators have been established, the association between these molecular subtypes and recently recognized SCLC-inflamed (SCLC-I) tumors is less understood. In this study, we used gene expression profiles of SCLC primary tumors and cell lines to discover and characterize SCLC-M (mesenchymal) tumors distinct from SCLC-I tumors for molecular features, clinical outcomes, and cross-species developmental trajectories. SCLC-M tumors show elevated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) and YAP1 activity but a low level of anticancer immune activity and worse clinical outcomes than SCLC-I tumors. The prevalence of SCLC-M tumors was 3.2-7.4% in primary SCLC cohorts, which was further confirmed by immunohistochemistry in an independent cohort. Deconvoluted gene expression of tumor epithelial cells showed that EMT and increased immune function are tumor-intrinsic characteristics of SCLC-M and SCLC-I subtypes, respectively. Cross-species analysis revealed that human primary SCLC tumors recapitulate the NE-to-non-NE progression murine model providing insight into the developmental relationships among SCLC subtypes, e.g., early NE (SCLC-A and -N)- vs. late non-NE tumors (SCLC-M and -P). Newly identified SCLC-M tumors are biologically and clinically distinct from SCLC-I tumors which should be taken into account for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
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29
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Yan Z, Liu Q, Cao Z, Wang J, Zhang H, Liu J, Zou L. Multi-omics integration reveals a six-malignant cell maker gene signature for predicting prognosis in high-risk neuroblastoma. Front Neuroinform 2022; 16:1034793. [DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2022.1034793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundNeuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor of childhood, arising from the sympathetic nervous system. High-risk neuroblastoma (HRNB) remains a major therapeutic challenge with low survival rates despite the intensification of therapy. This study aimed to develop a malignant-cell marker gene signature (MMGS) that might serve as a prognostic indicator in HRNB patients.MethodsMulti-omics datasets, including mRNA expression (single-cell and bulk), DNA methylation, and clinical information of HRNB patients, were used to identify prognostic malignant cell marker genes. MMGS was established by univariate Cox analysis, LASSO, and stepwise multivariable Cox regression analysis. Kaplan–Meier (KM) curve and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve (tROC) were used to evaluate the prognostic value and performance of MMGS, respectively. MMGS further verified its reliability and accuracy in the independent validation set. Finally, the characteristics of functional enrichment, tumor immune features, and inflammatory activity between different MMGS risk groups were also investigated.ResultsWe constructed a prognostic model consisting of six malignant cell maker genes (MAPT, C1QTNF4, MEG3, NPW, RAMP1, and CDT1), which stratified patients into ultra-high-risk (UHR) and common-high-risk (CHR) group. Patients in the UHR group had significantly worse overall survival (OS) than those in the CHR group. MMGS was verified as an independent predictor for the OS of HRNB patients. The area under the curve (AUC) values of MMGS at 1-, 3-, and 5-year were 0.78, 0.693, and 0.618, respectively. Notably, functional enrichment, tumor immune features, and inflammatory activity analyses preliminarily indicated that the poor prognosis in the UHR group might result from the dysregulation of the metabolic process and immunosuppressive microenvironment.ConclusionThis study established a novel six-malignant cell maker gene prognostic model that can be used to predict the prognosis of HRNB patients, which may provide new insight for the treatment and personalized monitoring of HRNB patients.
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Du H, Cai W. Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome associated with neuroblastoma: Insights into antitumor immunity. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2022; 69:e29949. [PMID: 36094353 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.29949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (OMS) is a rare neurological disorder. Half of these cases occur in children with neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma patients with OMS usually have better oncological outcomes than those without OMS even after stratification by tumor stage and age, indicating that factors mediating OMS may also inhibit tumor cell proliferation. Although the mechanisms underlying OMS remain undefined, the cytokines and lymphocytes alterations in the cerebrospinal fluid support the concept that it is a pattern of neuroinflammation due to an autoimmune effect. The presence of lymphoid follicles consisting of follicular dendritic cells, CD20+ B lymphocytes, CD3+ T lymphocytes, and CD68+ macrophages in the tumor microenvironment in OMS-associated neuroblastoma support the autoimmune nature of this disorder. This review focuses on the clinical and genetic features of OMS-associated neuroblastoma, and we update readers on immune features of neuroblastoma with or without OMS to gain insights into antitumor immunity as it relates to tumor biology and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmei Du
- Department of Oncology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Weisong Cai
- Department of Oncology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
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31
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Sha YL, Liu Y, Yang JX, Wang YY, Gong BC, Jin Y, Qu TY, Xia FT, Han L, Zhao Q. B3GALT4 remodels the tumor microenvironment through GD2-mediated lipid raft formation and the c-met/AKT/mTOR/IRF-1 axis in neuroblastoma. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2022; 41:314. [PMID: 36284313 PMCID: PMC9594894 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02523-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Beta-1,3-galactosyltransferase-4 (B3GALT4) plays a critical regulatory role in tumor biology. However, the role of B3GALT4 in modulating the tumor microenvironment (TME) of neuroblastoma (NB) remains unknown. METHODS Public datasets and clinical NB samples were collected to evaluate the expression and clinical significance of GD2 and B3GALT4 in NB patients. CCK-8, colony formation, and transwell assays and experiments in tumor-bearing mouse models were conducted to investigate the function of B3GALT4. Flow cytometry, ELISA, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, western blotting, and chemotaxis assays were conducted to ascertain the immunomodulatory mechanism of B3GALT4. The combined therapeutic effect of the lipid raft inhibitor MβCD and anti-GD2 mAb was validated in a murine model of NB. RESULTS GD2 was overexpressed in NB tissues and high expression of GD2 was associated with poor prognosis in NB patients. B3GALT4 was downregulated in NB tissues, and low expression of B3GALT4 indicated poor prognosis in NB patients. Silencing B3GALT4 significantly enhanced tumor progression both in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, the overexpression of B3GALT4 increased the recruitment of CD8+ T lymphocytes via the chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10. Additionally, B3GALT4 regulated NB-cell GD2 expression and lipid raft formation. Mechanistically, B3GALT4 regulated the expression of CXCL9 and CXCL10 via the c-Met signaling in the lipid rafts and the downstream AKT/mTOR/IRF-1 pathway. The lipid raft inhibitor, MβCD, attenuated B3GALT4 deficiency-induced tumor progression and immune evasion. Last, MβCD combined with anti-GD2 mAb treatment significantly enhanced the antitumor effect and the infiltration of CD8+ T cells. CONCLUSIONS Upregulation of B3GALT4 promotes the secretion of CXCL9 and CXCL10 to recruit CD8+ T lymphocytes via the GD2-mediated lipid rafts and the c-Met/AKT/mTOR/IRF-1 pathway. Moreover, lipid raft inhibitors may enhance the efficacy of anti-GD2 immunotherapy for NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Liang Sha
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Yun Liu
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Jia-Xing Yang
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Yang-Yang Wang
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Bao-Cheng Gong
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Yan Jin
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Tong-Yuan Qu
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Fan-Tong Xia
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Lei Han
- Cancer Molecular Diagnostics Core, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China.
| | - Qiang Zhao
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China.
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Sengupta S, Das S, Crespo AC, Cornel AM, Patel AG, Mahadevan NR, Campisi M, Ali AK, Sharma B, Rowe JH, Huang H, Debruyne DN, Cerda ED, Krajewska M, Dries R, Chen M, Zhang S, Soriano L, Cohen MA, Versteeg R, Jaenisch R, Spranger S, Romee R, Miller BC, Barbie DA, Nierkens S, Dyer MA, Lieberman J, George RE. Mesenchymal and adrenergic cell lineage states in neuroblastoma possess distinct immunogenic phenotypes. NATURE CANCER 2022; 3:1228-1246. [PMID: 36138189 PMCID: PMC10171398 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-022-00427-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Apart from the anti-GD2 antibody, immunotherapy for neuroblastoma has had limited success due to immune evasion mechanisms, coupled with an incomplete understanding of predictors of response. Here, from bulk and single-cell transcriptomic analyses, we identify a subset of neuroblastomas enriched for transcripts associated with immune activation and inhibition and show that these are predominantly characterized by gene expression signatures of the mesenchymal lineage state. By contrast, tumors expressing adrenergic lineage signatures are less immunogenic. The inherent presence or induction of the mesenchymal state through transcriptional reprogramming or therapy resistance is accompanied by innate and adaptive immune gene activation through epigenetic remodeling. Mesenchymal lineage cells promote T cell infiltration by secreting inflammatory cytokines, are efficiently targeted by cytotoxic T and natural killer cells and respond to immune checkpoint blockade. Together, we demonstrate that distinct immunogenic phenotypes define the divergent lineage states of neuroblastoma and highlight the immunogenic potential of the mesenchymal lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satyaki Sengupta
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sanjukta Das
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Angela C Crespo
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Annelisa M Cornel
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Anand G Patel
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Navin R Mahadevan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marco Campisi
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alaa K Ali
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bandana Sharma
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jared H Rowe
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hao Huang
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David N Debruyne
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Esther D Cerda
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Malgorzata Krajewska
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ruben Dries
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Minyue Chen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shupei Zhang
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Luigi Soriano
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Malkiel A Cohen
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rogier Versteeg
- Department of Oncogenomics, University Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rudolf Jaenisch
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Stefani Spranger
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rizwan Romee
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brian C Miller
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Immunology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Evergrande Center for Immunological Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David A Barbie
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stefan Nierkens
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Michael A Dyer
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Judy Lieberman
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rani E George
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Single-cell profiling of peripheral neuroblastic tumors identifies an aggressive transitional state that bridges an adrenergic-mesenchymal trajectory. Cell Rep 2022; 41:111455. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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Gomez RL, Ibragimova S, Ramachandran R, Philpott A, Ali FR. Tumoral heterogeneity in neuroblastoma. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2022; 1877:188805. [PMID: 36162542 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2022.188805] [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: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is a solid, neuroendocrine tumor with divergent clinical behavior ranging from asymptomatic to fatal. The diverse clinical presentations of neuroblastoma are directly linked to the high intra- and inter-tumoral heterogeneity it presents. This heterogeneity is strongly associated with therapeutic resistance and continuous relapses, often leading to fatal outcomes. The development of successful risk assessment and tailored treatment strategies lies in evaluating the extent of heterogeneity via the accurate genetic and epigenetic profiling of distinct cell subpopulations present in the tumor. Recent studies have focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms that drive tumoral heterogeneity in pursuing better therapeutic and diagnostic approaches. This review describes the cellular, genetic, and epigenetic aspects of neuroblastoma heterogeneity. In addition, we summarize the recent findings on three crucial factors that can lead to heterogeneity in solid tumors: the inherent diversity of the progenitor cells, the presence of cancer stem cells, and the influence of the tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roshna Lawrence Gomez
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Shakhzada Ibragimova
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Revathy Ramachandran
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Anna Philpott
- Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Center, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Fahad R Ali
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
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Zeng L, Liu XY, Chen K, Qin LJ, Wang FH, Miao L, Li L, Wang HY. Phosphoserine phosphatase as an indicator for survival through potentially influencing the infiltration levels of immune cells in neuroblastoma. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:873710. [PMID: 36092735 PMCID: PMC9459050 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.873710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Metabolic deregulation, a hallmark of cancer, fuels cancer cell growth and metastasis. Phosphoserine phosphatase (PSPH), an enzyme of the serine metabolism pathway, has been shown to affect patients’ prognosis in many cancers but its significance in neuroblastoma remains unknown. Here, we show that the functional role and potential mechanism of PSPH and it is correlated with survival of neuroblastoma patients. Patients and Methods: The TARGET dataset (n = 151) and our hospital-based cases (n = 55) were used for assessing the expression level of PSPH associated with survival in neuroblastoma patients, respectively. Then, in vitro experiments were performed to define the role of PSPH in neuroblastoma. The ESTIMATE and TIMER algorithms were utilized to examine the correlation between PSPH expression level and abundance of immune cells. Further, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of both PSPH and immune cells on patients’ prognosis. Results: High expression of PSPH was significantly associated with unfavorable overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) in both the TARGET dataset and our hospital-based cases, and was an independent predictor of OS (hazard ratio, 2.00; 95% confidence intervals, 1.21–3.30, p = 0.0067). In vitro experiments showed that high expression of PSPH significantly promoted cell growth and metastasis. Further, the ESTIMATE result suggested that high expression level of PSPH was negatively associated with low stromal and ESTIMATE score. Specifically, high PSPH expression was found to be negatively associated with CD8+ T cell, macrophages and neutrophils, which negatively affected survival of neuroblastoma patients (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0005, and p = 0.0004, respectively). Conclusion: These findings suggested that PSPH expression could be a promising indicator for prognosis and immunotherapy in neuroblastoma patients by potentially influencing infiltration levels of immune cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Zeng
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children’s Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Yun Liu
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kai Chen
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children’s Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liang-Jun Qin
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children’s Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
| | - Feng-Hua Wang
- Departments of Thoracic Surgery, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children’s Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lei Miao
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children’s Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
| | - Le Li
- Departments of Thoracic Surgery, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children’s Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hai-Yun Wang
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children’s Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children’s Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Hai-Yun Wang,
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36
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Anderson J, Majzner RG, Sondel PM. Immunotherapy of Neuroblastoma: Facts and Hopes. Clin Cancer Res 2022; 28:3196-3206. [PMID: 35435953 PMCID: PMC9344822 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-21-1356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
While the adoption of multimodal therapy including surgery, radiation, and aggressive combination chemotherapy has improved outcomes for many children with high-risk neuroblastoma, we appear to have reached a plateau in what can be achieved with cytotoxic therapies alone. Most children with cancer, including high-risk neuroblastoma, do not benefit from treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) that have revolutionized the treatment of many highly immunogenic adult solid tumors. This likely reflects the low tumor mutation burden as well as the downregulated MHC-I that characterizes most high-risk neuroblastomas. For these reasons, neuroblastoma represents an immunotherapeutic challenge that may be a model for the creation of effective immunotherapy for other "cold" tumors in children and adults that do not respond to ICI. The identification of strong expression of the disialoganglioside GD2 on the surface of nearly all neuroblastoma cells provided a target for immune recognition by anti-GD2 mAbs that recruit Fc receptor-expressing innate immune cells that mediate cytotoxicity or phagocytosis. Adoption of anti-GD2 antibodies into both upfront and relapse treatment protocols has dramatically increased survival rates and altered the landscape for children with high-risk neuroblastoma. This review describes how these approaches have been expanded to additional combinations and forms of immunotherapy that have already demonstrated clear clinical benefit. We also describe the efforts to identify additional immune targets for neuroblastoma. Finally, we summarize newer approaches being pursued that may well help both innate and adaptive immune cells, endogenous or genetically engineered, to more effectively destroy neuroblastoma cells, to better induce complete remission and prevent recurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Anderson
- Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robbie G. Majzner
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, California
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Paul M. Sondel
- Departments of Pediatrics, Human Oncology and Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
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37
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Kacher J, Manches O, Aspord C, Sartelet H, Chaperot L. Impaired Antitumor Immune Response in MYCN-amplified Neuroblastoma Is Associated with Lack of CCL2 Secretion and Poor Dendritic Cell Recruitment. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2022; 2:577-589. [PMID: 36923280 PMCID: PMC10010397 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-21-0134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In neuroblastoma, MYCN amplification is associated with sparse immune infiltrate and poor prognosis. Dendritic cells (DC) are crucial immune sentinels but their involvement in neuroblastoma pathogenesis is poorly understood. We observed that the migration of monocytes, myeloid and plasmacytoid DC induced by MYCN-nonamplified neuroblastoma supernatants was abrogated by the addition of anti-CCL2 antibodies, demonstrating the involvement of the CCR2/CCL2 axis in their recruitment by these tumors. Using public RNA sequencing and microarray datasets, we describe lower level of expression of CCL2 in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma tumors, and we propose a working model for T-cell recruitment in neuroblastoma tumors in which CCL2 produced by neuroblastoma cells initiates the recruitment of monocytes, myeloid and plasmacytoid DCs. Among these cells, the CD1c+ subset may recruit T cells by means of CCL19/CCL22 secretion. In vitro, supernatants from DCs cocultured with neuroblastoma cell lines and activated contain CCL22 and CCL19, and are chemotactic for both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. We also looked at immunomodulation induced by neuroblastoma cell lines, and found MYCN-nonamplified neuroblastoma cell lines were able to create a microenvironment where DC activation is enhanced. Overall, our findings highlight a major role for CCL2/CCR2 axis in monocytes, myeloid and plasmacytoid cells recruitment toward MYCN-nonamplified neuroblastoma, allowing further immune cell recruitment, and show that these tumors present a microenvironment that can favor DC responses. Significance In MYCN-nonamplified neuroblastoma, CCL2 produced by neuroblastoma cells induces the recruitment of antigen-presenting cells (DCs and monocytes/macrophages), allowing infiltration by T cells, in link with CCL19 and CCL22 production, hence favoring immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamila Kacher
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Inserm U1209, CNRS UMR5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France.,Etablissement Français du Sang Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Olivier Manches
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Inserm U1209, CNRS UMR5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France.,Etablissement Français du Sang Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Caroline Aspord
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Inserm U1209, CNRS UMR5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France.,Etablissement Français du Sang Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Hervé Sartelet
- Laboratoire de Biopathologie, CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France.,Inserm U1256, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France
| | - Laurence Chaperot
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Inserm U1209, CNRS UMR5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France.,Etablissement Français du Sang Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Grenoble, France
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38
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Hensel J, Metts J, Gupta A, Ladle BH, Pilon-Thomas S, Mullinax J. Adoptive Cellular Therapy for Pediatric Solid Tumors: Beyond Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T Cell Therapy. Cancer J 2022; 28:322-327. [PMID: 35880942 PMCID: PMC9847472 DOI: 10.1097/ppo.0000000000000603] [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] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Children and adolescents with high-risk (metastatic and relapsed) solid tumors have poor outcomes despite intensive multimodal therapy, and there is a pressing need for novel therapeutic strategies. Adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) has demonstrated activity in multiple adult cancer types, and opportunity exists to expand the use of this therapy in children. Employment of immunotherapy in the pediatric population has realized only modest overall clinical trial results, with success thus far restricted mainly to antibody-based therapies and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies for lymphoid malignancy. As we improve our understanding of the orchestrated cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in ACT, this will provide biologic insight and improved ACT strategies for pediatric malignancies. This review focuses on ACT strategies outside of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, including completed and ongoing clinical trials, and highlights promising preclinical data in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes that enhance the clinical efficacy of ACT for high-risk pediatric solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Hensel
- Sarcoma, Immunology, Cutaneous Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa
| | - Jonathan Metts
- Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St Petersburg, FL
| | - Ajay Gupta
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY
| | - Brian H. Ladle
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | | | - John Mullinax
- Sarcoma, Immunology, Cutaneous Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa
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39
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Verhoeven BM, Mei S, Olsen TK, Gustafsson K, Valind A, Lindström A, Gisselsson D, Fard SS, Hagerling C, Kharchenko PV, Kogner P, Johnsen JI, Baryawno N. The immune cell atlas of human neuroblastoma. Cell Rep Med 2022; 3:100657. [PMID: 35688160 PMCID: PMC9245004 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the complete immune cell composition of human neuroblastoma (NB) is crucial for the development of immunotherapeutics. Here, we perform single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on 19 human NB samples coupled with multiplex immunohistochemistry, survival analysis, and comparison with normal fetal adrenal gland data. We provide a comprehensive immune cell landscape and characterize cell-state changes from normal tissue to NB. Our analysis reveals 27 immune cell subtypes, including distinct subpopulations of myeloid, NK, B, and T cells. Several different cell types demonstrate a survival benefit. In contrast to adult cancers and previous NB studies, we show an increase in inflammatory monocyte cell state when contrasting normal and tumor tissue, while no differences in cytotoxicity and exhaustion score for T cells, nor in Treg activity, are observed. Our receptor-ligand interaction analysis reveals a highly complex interactive network of the NB microenvironment from which we highlight several interactions that we suggest for future therapeutic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bronte Manouk Verhoeven
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Shenglin Mei
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Thale Kristin Olsen
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Karin Gustafsson
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anders Valind
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, 221 85 Lund, Sweden; Department of Pediatrics, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Axel Lindström
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, 221 85 Lund, Sweden
| | - David Gisselsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, 221 85 Lund, Sweden
| | - Shahrzad Shirazi Fard
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Catharina Hagerling
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, 221 85 Lund, Sweden
| | - Peter V Kharchenko
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Per Kogner
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - John Inge Johnsen
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ninib Baryawno
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Pathania AS, Prathipati P, Olwenyi OA, Chava S, Smith OV, Gupta SC, Chaturvedi NK, Byrareddy SN, Coulter DW, Challagundla KB. miR-15a and miR-15b modulate natural killer and CD8 +T-cell activation and anti-tumor immune response by targeting PD-L1 in neuroblastoma. Mol Ther Oncolytics 2022; 25:308-329. [PMID: 35663229 PMCID: PMC9133764 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2022.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is an enigmatic and deadliest pediatric cancer to treat. The major obstacles to the effective immunotherapy treatments in NB are defective immune cells and the immune evasion tactics deployed by the tumor cells and the stromal microenvironment. Nervous system development during embryonic and pediatric stages is critically mediated by non-coding RNAs such as micro RNAs (miR). Hence, we explored the role of miRs in anti-tumor immune response via a range of data-driven workflows and in vitro & in vivo experiments. Using the TARGET, NB patient dataset (n=249), we applied the robust bioinformatic workflows incorporating differential expression, co-expression, survival, heatmaps, and box plots. We initially demonstrated the role of miR-15a-5p (miR-15a) and miR-15b-5p (miR-15b) as tumor suppressors, followed by their negative association with stromal cell percentages and a statistically significant negative regulation of T and natural killer (NK) cell signature genes, especially CD274 (PD-L1) in stromal-low patient subsets. The NB phase-specific expression of the miR-15a/miR-15b-PD-L1 axis was further corroborated using the PDX (n=24) dataset. We demonstrated miR-15a/miR-15b mediated degradation of PD-L1 mRNA through its interaction with the 3'-untranslated region and the RNA-induced silencing complex using sequence-specific luciferase activity and Ago2 RNA immunoprecipitation assays. In addition, we established miR-15a/miR-15b induced CD8+T and NK cell activation and cytotoxicity against NB in vitro. Moreover, injection of murine cells expressing miR-15a reduced tumor size, tumor vasculature and enhanced the activation and infiltration of CD8+T and NK cells into the tumors in vivo. We further established that blocking the surface PD-L1 using an anti-PD-L1 antibody rescued miR-15a/miR-15b induced CD8+T and NK cell-mediated anti-tumor responses. These findings demonstrate that miR-15a and miR-15b induce an anti-tumor immune response by targeting PD-L1 in NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anup S. Pathania
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology & The Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Philip Prathipati
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, 7-6-8 Saito-Asagi, Ibaraki City, Osaka 567-0085, Japan
| | - Omalla A. Olwenyi
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Srinivas Chava
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology & The Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Oghenetejiri V. Smith
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology & The Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Subash C. Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221005, India
| | - Nagendra K. Chaturvedi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Siddappa N. Byrareddy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology & The Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Don W. Coulter
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Kishore B. Challagundla
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology & The Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
- The Child Health Research Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
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Holterhus M, Altvater B, Kailayangiri S, Rossig C. The Cellular Tumor Immune Microenvironment of Childhood Solid Cancers: Informing More Effective Immunotherapies. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14092177. [PMID: 35565307 PMCID: PMC9105669 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14092177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Common pediatric solid cancers fail to respond to standard immuno-oncology agents relying on preexisting adaptive antitumor immune responses. The adoptive transfer of tumor-antigen specific T cells, such as CAR-gene modified T cells, is an attractive strategy, but its efficacy has been limited. Evidence is accumulating that local barriers in the tumor microenvironment prevent the infiltration of T cells and impede therapeutic immune responses. A thorough understanding of the components of the functional compartment of the tumor microenvironment and their interaction could inform effective combination therapies and novel engineered therapeutics, driving immunotherapy towards its full potential in pediatric patients. This review summarizes current knowledge on the cellular composition and significance of the tumor microenvironment in common extracranial solid cancers of childhood and adolescence, such as embryonal tumors and bone and soft tissue sarcomas, with a focus on myeloid cell populations that are often present in abundance in these tumors. Strategies to (co)target immunosuppressive myeloid cell populations with pharmacological anticancer agents and with selective antagonists are presented, as well as novel concepts aiming to employ myeloid cells to cooperate with antitumor T cell responses.
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Abstract
Purpose of Review The evolving information of the initiation, tumor cell heterogeneity, and plasticity of childhood neuroblastoma has opened up new perspectives for developing therapies based on detailed knowledge of the disease. Recent Findings The cellular origin of neuroblastoma has begun to unravel and there have been several reports on tumor cell heterogeneity based on transcriptional core regulatory circuitries that have given us important information on the biology of neuroblastoma as a developmental disease. This together with new insight of the tumor microenvironment which acts as a support for neuroblastoma growth has given us the prospect for designing better treatment approaches for patients with high-risk neuroblastoma. Here, we discuss these new discoveries and highlight some emerging therapeutic options. Summary Neuroblastoma is a disease with multiple facets. Detailed biological and molecular knowledge on neuroblastoma initiation, heterogeneity, and the communications between cells in the tumor microenvironment holds promise for better therapies.
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Epigenetic state determines inflammatory sensing in neuroblastoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2102358119. [PMID: 35121657 PMCID: PMC8832972 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2102358119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, but many cancers are not impacted by currently available immunotherapeutic strategies. Here, we investigated inflammatory signaling pathways in neuroblastoma, a classically "cold" pediatric cancer. By testing the functional response of a panel of 20 diverse neuroblastoma cell lines to three different inflammatory stimuli, we found that all cell lines have intact interferon signaling, and all but one lack functional cytosolic DNA sensing via cGAS-STING. However, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) sensing via Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) was heterogeneous, as was signaling through other dsRNA sensors and TLRs more broadly. Seven cell lines showed robust response to dsRNA, six of which are in the mesenchymal epigenetic state, while all unresponsive cell lines are in the adrenergic state. Genetically switching adrenergic cell lines toward the mesenchymal state fully restored responsiveness. In responsive cells, dsRNA sensing results in the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, enrichment of inflammatory transcriptomic signatures, and increased tumor killing by T cells in vitro. Using single-cell RNA sequencing data, we show that human neuroblastoma cells with stronger mesenchymal signatures have a higher basal inflammatory state, demonstrating intratumoral heterogeneity in inflammatory signaling that has significant implications for immunotherapeutic strategies in this aggressive childhood cancer.
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Theruvath J, Menard M, Smith BAH, Linde MH, Coles GL, Dalton GN, Wu W, Kiru L, Delaidelli A, Sotillo E, Silberstein JL, Geraghty AC, Banuelos A, Radosevich MT, Dhingra S, Heitzeneder S, Tousley A, Lattin J, Xu P, Huang J, Nasholm N, He A, Kuo TC, Sangalang ERB, Pons J, Barkal A, Brewer RE, Marjon KD, Vilches-Moure JG, Marshall PL, Fernandes R, Monje M, Cochran JR, Sorensen PH, Daldrup-Link HE, Weissman IL, Sage J, Majeti R, Bertozzi CR, Weiss WA, Mackall CL, Majzner RG. Anti-GD2 synergizes with CD47 blockade to mediate tumor eradication. Nat Med 2022; 28:333-344. [PMID: 35027753 PMCID: PMC9098186 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-021-01625-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 56.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The disialoganglioside GD2 is overexpressed on several solid tumors, and monoclonal antibodies targeting GD2 have substantially improved outcomes for children with high-risk neuroblastoma. However, approximately 40% of patients with neuroblastoma still relapse, and anti-GD2 has not mediated significant clinical activity in any other GD2+ malignancy. Macrophages are important mediators of anti-tumor immunity, but tumors resist macrophage phagocytosis through expression of the checkpoint molecule CD47, a so-called 'Don't eat me' signal. In this study, we establish potent synergy for the combination of anti-GD2 and anti-CD47 in syngeneic and xenograft mouse models of neuroblastoma, where the combination eradicates tumors, as well as osteosarcoma and small-cell lung cancer, where the combination significantly reduces tumor burden and extends survival. This synergy is driven by two GD2-specific factors that reorient the balance of macrophage activity. Ligation of GD2 on tumor cells (a) causes upregulation of surface calreticulin, a pro-phagocytic 'Eat me' signal that primes cells for removal and (b) interrupts the interaction of GD2 with its newly identified ligand, the inhibitory immunoreceptor Siglec-7. This work credentials the combination of anti-GD2 and anti-CD47 for clinical translation and suggests that CD47 blockade will be most efficacious in combination with monoclonal antibodies that alter additional pro- and anti-phagocytic signals within the tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Theruvath
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Marie Menard
- Departments of Neurology, Pediatrics, and Neurological Surgery, Brain Tumor Research Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Benjamin A H Smith
- ChEM-H Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Chemical & Systems Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Miles H Linde
- Immunology Graduate Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Garry L Coles
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Wei Wu
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Louise Kiru
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Elena Sotillo
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - John L Silberstein
- Immunology Graduate Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University Schools of Engineering and Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Anna C Geraghty
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Allison Banuelos
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Shaurya Dhingra
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sabine Heitzeneder
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Aidan Tousley
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - John Lattin
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Peng Xu
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jing Huang
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Nicole Nasholm
- Departments of Neurology, Pediatrics, and Neurological Surgery, Brain Tumor Research Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Andy He
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Amira Barkal
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Stem Cell Research and Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Medical Scientist Training Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Rachel E Brewer
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Stem Cell Research and Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Kristopher D Marjon
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Stem Cell Research and Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jose G Vilches-Moure
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Payton L Marshall
- Stanford Medical Scientist Training Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ricardo Fernandes
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) Oxford Institute (COI), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Michelle Monje
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Stem Cell Research and Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer R Cochran
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University Schools of Engineering and Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Heike E Daldrup-Link
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Irving L Weissman
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Stem Cell Research and Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Julien Sage
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ravindra Majeti
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Stem Cell Research and Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Carolyn R Bertozzi
- ChEM-H Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Chemical & Systems Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - William A Weiss
- Departments of Neurology, Pediatrics, and Neurological Surgery, Brain Tumor Research Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Crystal L Mackall
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Robbie G Majzner
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Valind A, Gisselsson D. Immune checkpoint inhibitors in Wilms' tumor and Neuroblastoma: What now? Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2021; 4:e1397. [PMID: 33932141 PMCID: PMC8714551 DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.1397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Therapeutic activation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes using monoclonal antibodies targeting PD1 or PD-L1 (immune checkpoint inhibitors-ICIs) has revolutionized treatment of specific solid tumors in adult cancer patients, and much hope has been placed on a similar effect in relapsed or refractory solid pediatric tumors. Recent clinical trials have disappointingly shown an almost nonexistent response rate, while case reports have demonstrated that some pediatric patients do achieve durable responses when treated with this type of drug. AIM To elucidate this paradox, we mapped the landscape of expressed neoantigens as well as the levels of immune cell infiltration in the two most common extracranial solid pediatric tumors: Wilms tumor and neuroblastoma using state-of-the-art in silico analysis of a large cohort of patients with these tumors. METHODS By integration of whole exome sequencing and RNA-sequencing, we mapped the landscape of neoantigens in the TARGET cohorts for these diagnoses and correlated these findings with known genetic prognostic markers. RESULTS Our analysis shows that these tumors typically have much lower levels of expressed neoantigens than commonly seen in adult cancers, but we also identify subgroups with significantly higher levels of neoantigens. For neuroblastomas, the cases with higher levels of neoantigens were confined to the group without MYCN-amplification and for Wilms tumor restricted to the TP53-mutated cases. Furthermore, we demonstrate that neuroblastomas have an unexpectedly high level of CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, even when compared to adult tumor types where ICI is an approved treatment. CONCLUSION These results could be important to consider when designing future clinical trials of ICI treatment in pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Valind
- Division of Clinical GeneticsLund UniversityLundSweden
- Department of PediatricsSkåne University HospitalLundSweden
| | - David Gisselsson
- Division of Clinical GeneticsLund UniversityLundSweden
- Department of PathologyLaboratory Medicine SkåneLundSweden
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46
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McEachron TA, Helman LJ. Recent Advances in Pediatric Cancer Research. Cancer Res 2021; 81:5783-5799. [PMID: 34561271 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-21-1191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Over the past few years, the field of pediatric cancer has experienced a shift in momentum, and this has led to new and exciting findings that have relevance beyond pediatric malignancies. Here we present the current status of key aspects of pediatric cancer research. We have focused on genetic and epigenetic drivers of disease, cellular origins of different pediatric cancers, disease models, the tumor microenvironment, and cellular immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lee J Helman
- Osteosarcoma Institute, Dallas, Texas
- Cancer and Blood Disease Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
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47
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Tsakaneli A, Carregari VC, Morini M, Eva A, Cangemi G, Chayka O, Makarov E, Bibbò S, Capone E, Sala G, De Laurenzi V, Poon E, Chesler L, Pieroni L, Larsen MR, Palmisano G, Sala A. MYC regulates metabolism through vesicular transfer of glycolytic kinases. Open Biol 2021; 11:210276. [PMID: 34847775 PMCID: PMC8633805 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.210276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Amplification of the proto-oncogene MYCN is a key molecular aberration in high-risk neuroblastoma and predictive of poor outcome in this childhood malignancy. We investigated the role of MYCN in regulating the protein cargo of extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by tumour cells that can be internalized by recipient cells with functional consequences. Using a switchable MYCN system coupled to mass spectrometry analysis, we found that MYCN regulates distinct sets of proteins in the EVs secreted by neuroblastoma cells. EVs produced by MYCN-expressing cells or isolated from neuroblastoma patients induced the Warburg effect, proliferation and c-MYC expression in target cells. Mechanistically, we linked the cancer-promoting activity of EVs to the glycolytic kinase pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) that was enriched in EVs secreted by MYC-expressing neuroblastoma cells. Importantly, the glycolytic enzymes PKM2 and hexokinase II were detected in the EVs circulating in the bloodstream of neuroblastoma patients, but not in those of non-cancer children. We conclude that MYC-activated cancers might spread oncogenic signals to remote body locations through EVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexia Tsakaneli
- Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UB8 3PH Uxbridge, UK
| | - Victor Corasolla Carregari
- GlycoProteomics Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374 Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Experimental Neuroscience, Proteomics and Metabonomics Unit, Fondazione Santa Lucia-IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Martina Morini
- Laboratorio di Biologia Molecolare, IRCCS Istituto G. Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alessandra Eva
- Laboratorio di Biologia Molecolare, IRCCS Istituto G. Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Olesya Chayka
- Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UB8 3PH Uxbridge, UK
| | - Evgeny Makarov
- Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UB8 3PH Uxbridge, UK
| | - Sandra Bibbò
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Chieti-Pescara, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST) Chieti, Italy
| | - Emily Capone
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Chieti-Pescara, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST) Chieti, Italy
| | - Gianluca Sala
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Chieti-Pescara, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST) Chieti, Italy
| | - Vincenzo De Laurenzi
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Chieti-Pescara, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST) Chieti, Italy
| | - Evon Poon
- Division of Clinical Studies and Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Louis Chesler
- Division of Clinical Studies and Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Luisa Pieroni
- Department of Experimental Neuroscience, Proteomics and Metabonomics Unit, Fondazione Santa Lucia-IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Martin R. Larsen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Giuseppe Palmisano
- GlycoProteomics Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374 Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Experimental Neuroscience, Proteomics and Metabonomics Unit, Fondazione Santa Lucia-IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Arturo Sala
- Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UB8 3PH Uxbridge, UK
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Brohl AS, Sindiri S, Wei JS, Milewski D, Chou HC, Song YK, Wen X, Kumar J, Reardon HV, Mudunuri US, Collins JR, Nagaraj S, Gangalapudi V, Tyagi M, Zhu YJ, Masih KE, Yohe ME, Shern JF, Qi Y, Guha U, Catchpoole D, Orentas RJ, Kuznetsov IB, Llosa NJ, Ligon JA, Turpin BK, Leino DG, Iwata S, Andrulis IL, Wunder JS, Toledo SRC, Meltzer PS, Lau C, Teicher BA, Magnan H, Ladanyi M, Khan J. Immuno-transcriptomic profiling of extracranial pediatric solid malignancies. Cell Rep 2021; 37:110047. [PMID: 34818552 PMCID: PMC8642810 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We perform an immunogenomics analysis utilizing whole-transcriptome sequencing of 657 pediatric extracranial solid cancer samples representing 14 diagnoses, and additionally utilize transcriptomes of 131 pediatric cancer cell lines and 147 normal tissue samples for comparison. We describe patterns of infiltrating immune cells, T cell receptor (TCR) clonal expansion, and translationally relevant immune checkpoints. We find that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and TCR counts vary widely across cancer types and within each diagnosis, and notably are significantly predictive of survival in osteosarcoma patients. We identify potential cancer-specific immunotherapeutic targets for adoptive cell therapies including cell-surface proteins, tumor germline antigens, and lineage-specific transcription factors. Using an orthogonal immunopeptidomics approach, we find several potential immunotherapeutic targets in osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma and validated PRAME as a bona fide multi-pediatric cancer target. Importantly, this work provides a critical framework for immune targeting of extracranial solid tumors using parallel immuno-transcriptomic and -peptidomic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Brohl
- Sarcoma Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | | | - Jun S Wei
- Genetics Branch, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | | | - Young K Song
- Genetics Branch, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Xinyu Wen
- Genetics Branch, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Hue V Reardon
- Advanced Biomedical Computational Science, Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., NCI Campus at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Uma S Mudunuri
- Advanced Biomedical Computational Science, Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., NCI Campus at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Jack R Collins
- Advanced Biomedical Computational Science, Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., NCI Campus at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Sushma Nagaraj
- Laboratory of Pathology, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Manoj Tyagi
- Laboratory of Pathology, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yuelin J Zhu
- Genetics Branch, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Katherine E Masih
- Genetics Branch, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marielle E Yohe
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jack F Shern
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yue Qi
- Thoracic and GI Malignancies Branch, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Udayan Guha
- Thoracic and GI Malignancies Branch, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Daniel Catchpoole
- The Tumour Bank, Children's Cancer Research Unit, Kids Research Institute, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Rimas J Orentas
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Igor B Kuznetsov
- Cancer Research Center and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University at Albany, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA
| | - Nicolas J Llosa
- Pediatric Oncology, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - John A Ligon
- Pediatric Oncology, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Brian K Turpin
- Division of Oncology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3026, USA
| | - Daniel G Leino
- Division of Oncology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3026, USA
| | | | - Irene L Andrulis
- Lunenfelf-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jay S Wunder
- University of Toronto Musculoskeletal Oncology Unit, Sinai Health System; Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Silvia R C Toledo
- Support Group for Children and Adolescents with Cancer (GRAACC), Pediatric Oncology Institute (IOP), Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brail
| | | | - Ching Lau
- The Jackson Laboratory, Farmington, CT 06032, USA
| | - Beverly A Teicher
- Molecular Pharmacology Branch, DCTD, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Heather Magnan
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marc Ladanyi
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Javed Khan
- Genetics Branch, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Schaafsma E, Jiang C, Cheng C. B cell infiltration is highly associated with prognosis and an immune-infiltrated tumor microenvironment in neuroblastoma. JOURNAL OF CANCER METASTASIS AND TREATMENT 2021; 7. [PMID: 34458583 PMCID: PMC8389852 DOI: 10.20517/2394-4722.2021.72] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Aim Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children. Recent advances in immunotherapy Approaches, including in neuroblastoma, have shown the important role of the immune system in mounting an effective anti-tumor response. In this study, we aimed to provide a comprehensive investigation of immune cell infiltration in neuroblastoma utilizing a large number of gene expression datasets. Methods We inferred immune cell infiltration using an established immune inference method and evaluated the association between immune cell abundance and patient prognosis as well as common chromosomal abnormalities found in neuroblastoma. In addition, we evaluated co-infiltration patterns among distinct immune cell types. Results The infiltration of naïve B cells, NK cells, and CD8+ T cells was associated with improved patient prognosis. Naïve B cells were the most consistent indicator of prognosis and associated with an active immune tumor microenvironment. Patients with high B cell infiltration showed high co-infiltration of other immune cell types and the enrichment of immune-related pathways. The presence of high B cell infiltration was associated with both recurrence-free and overall survival, even after adjusting for clinical variables. Conclusion In this study, we have provided a comprehensive evaluation of immune cell infiltration in neuroblastoma using gene expression data. We propose an important role for B cells in the neuroblastoma tumor microenvironment and suggest that B cells can be used as a prognostic biomarker to predict recurrence-free and overall survival independently of currently utilized prognostic variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelien Schaafsma
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.,Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
| | - Chongming Jiang
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Chao Cheng
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,The Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX, 77030, USA
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50
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Nigro O, Ferrari A, Casanova M, Orbach D, Leruste A, Gatz SA, Frappaz D, Massimino M. Controversies on the possible role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in pediatric cancers: balancing irAEs and efficacy. TUMORI JOURNAL 2021; 107:276-281. [PMID: 33877022 DOI: 10.1177/03008916211010214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Pediatric cancers are not the equivalent of adult cancers occurring at a younger age and the prospect of immunotherapy in children has not been received with the same enthusiasm as in the adult setting. Although most pediatric malignancies are considered immunologically cold, we are learning more about PD-L1 expression, tumor mutational burden, and microsatellite instability in several pediatric cancers. The side effects of immunotherapy are an important consideration. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) engender a unique constellation of inflammatory toxicities known as immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Three early-phase trials-KEYNOTE-051, iMATRIX, and ADVL1412-were the first to describe irAEs in pediatric patients and ICIs were well tolerated. There was concern about unknown late irAEs in pediatric patients, as they have much more time to develop than in adult or elderly patients. Academic clinicians, biopharmaceutical companies, and parents' advocates concluded that no benefit could be expected from further monotherapy trials employing other ICIs with the same mechanism of action until more scientific knowledge becomes available. On the other hand, ICIs could be useful in combination with other therapies to prevent the functional inactivation of several pathways in the hostile microenvironment. Future clinical studies on ICIs in children need to build on strong biological premises, taking into account the distinctive immunobiology of pediatric cancers vis-à-vis ICI-responsive adult cancers. We need to gain and share experiences of new therapies for managing pediatric patients with cancer, clarifying to what extent we can extrapolate the data obtained in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Nigro
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - Andrea Ferrari
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - Michela Casanova
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - Daniel Orbach
- SIREDO Pediatric Cancer Center, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Amaury Leruste
- SIREDO Pediatric Cancer Center, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Susanne A Gatz
- Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit (CRCTU), Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Didier Frappaz
- Département de Neuro-Oncologie, Centre Léon-Bérard, Institut d'Hématologie et Oncologie Pédiatrique et Adulte, Lyon, France
| | - Maura Massimino
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy
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