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Kader A, Snellings J, Adams LC, Gottheil P, Mangarova DB, Heyl JL, Kaufmann JO, Moeckel J, Brangsch J, Auer TA, Collettini F, Sauer F, Hamm B, Käs J, Sack I, Makowski MR, Braun J. Sensitivity of magnetic resonance elastography to extracellular matrix and cell motility in human prostate cancer cell line-derived xenograft models. BIOMATERIALS ADVANCES 2024; 161:213884. [PMID: 38723432 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioadv.2024.213884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Prostate cancer (PCa) is a significant health problem in the male population of the Western world. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), an emerging medical imaging technique sensitive to mechanical properties of biological tissues, detects PCa based on abnormally high stiffness and viscosity values. Yet, the origin of these changes in tissue properties and how they correlate with histopathological markers and tumor aggressiveness are largely unknown, hindering the use of tumor biomechanical properties for establishing a noninvasive PCa staging system. To infer the contributions of extracellular matrix (ECM) components and cell motility, we investigated fresh tissue specimens from two PCa xenograft mouse models, PC3 and LNCaP, using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), quantitative histology, and nuclear shape analysis. Increased tumor stiffness and impaired water diffusion were observed to be associated with collagen and elastin accumulation and decreased cell motility. Overall, LNCaP, while more representative of clinical PCa than PC3, accumulated fewer ECM components, induced less restriction of water diffusion, and exhibited increased cell motility, resulting in overall softer and less viscous properties. Taken together, our results suggest that prostate tumor stiffness increases with ECM accumulation and cell adhesion - characteristics that influence critical biological processes of cancer development. MRE paired with DWI provides a powerful set of imaging markers that can potentially predict prostate tumor development from benign masses to aggressive malignancies in patients. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Xenograft models of human prostate tumor cell lines, allowing correlation of microstructure-sensitive biophysical imaging parameters with quantitative histological methods, can be investigated to identify hallmarks of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avan Kader
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Technical University of Munich, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich, Germany.
| | - Joachim Snellings
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Lisa C Adams
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Technical University of Munich, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich, Germany.
| | - Pablo Gottheil
- Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, Leipzig University, Linnéstraße 5, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dilyana B Mangarova
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Jennifer L Heyl
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Jan O Kaufmann
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Division 1.5 Protein Analysis, Richard-Willstätter-Str. 11, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Jana Moeckel
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Julia Brangsch
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Technical University of Munich, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich, Germany.
| | - Timo A Auer
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Berlin Insitute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany.
| | - Federico Collettini
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Berlin Insitute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany.
| | - Frank Sauer
- Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, Leipzig University, Linnéstraße 5, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Bernd Hamm
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Josef Käs
- Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, Leipzig University, Linnéstraße 5, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Ingolf Sack
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Marcus R Makowski
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Technical University of Munich, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich, Germany; King's College London, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom.
| | - Jürgen Braun
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
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2
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Liao Q, Shi H, Yang J, Ge S, Jia R, Song X, Chai P, Jia R. FTO elicits tumor neovascularization in cancer-associated fibroblasts through eliminating m 6A modifications of multiple pro-angiogenic factors. Cancer Lett 2024; 592:216911. [PMID: 38685450 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216911] [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: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) exhibit notable versatility, plasticity, and robustness, actively participating in cancer progression through intricate interactions within the tumor microenvironment (TME). N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is the most prevalent modification in eukaryotic mRNA, playing essential roles in mRNA metabolism and various biological processes. Howbeit, the precise involvement of m6A in CAF activation remains enigmatic. In this study, we revealed that the m6A demethylase FTO supports CAF-mediated angiogenesis through activation of EGR1 and VEGFA in conjunctival melanoma (CoM). First, single-cell transcriptome analysis revealed that FTO was specifically upregulated in the CAF population, thereby contributing to the hypo-m6A status in the TME of CoM. Moreover, CAFs of CoM displayed extensive proangiogenic potential, which was largely compromised by FTO inhibition, both in vitro and in vivo. By employing multi-omics analysis, we showed that FTO effectively eliminates the m6A modifications of VEGFA and EGR1. This process subsequently disrupts the YTHDF2-dependent mRNA decay pathway, resulting in increased mRNA stability and upregulated expression of these molecules. Collectively, our findings initially indicate that the upregulation of FTO plays a pivotal role in tumor development by promoting CAF-mediated angiogenesis. Therapeutically, targeting FTO may show promise as a potential antiangiogenic strategy to optimize cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qili Liao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, PR China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200025, PR China
| | - Hanhan Shi
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, PR China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200025, PR China
| | - Jie Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, PR China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200025, PR China
| | - Shengfang Ge
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, PR China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200025, PR China
| | - Ruobing Jia
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, PR China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200025, PR China
| | - Xin Song
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, PR China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200025, PR China.
| | - Peiwei Chai
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, PR China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200025, PR China.
| | - Renbing Jia
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, PR China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200025, PR China.
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3
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Cheon I, Lee S, Oh S, Ahn YH. miR-200-mediated inactivation of cancer-associated fibroblasts via targeting of NRP2-VEGFR signaling attenuates lung cancer invasion and metastasis. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2024; 35:102194. [PMID: 38766528 PMCID: PMC11101731 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2024.102194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a substantial role in promoting cancer cell motility, drug resistance, angiogenesis, and metastasis; therefore, extensive research has been conducted to determine their mode of activation. We aimed to identify whether miRNA-200 (miR-200), a widely recognized suppressor of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, prevents CAFs from promoting cancer progression. Overexpression of miR-200 prevented CAFs from promoting lung cancer cell migration, invasion, tumorigenicity, and metastasis. Additionally, miR-200 suppressed the ability of CAFs to recruit and polarize macrophages toward the M2 phenotype, as well as the migration and tube formation of vascular endothelial cells. NRP2, a co-receptor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), was confirmed to be a target of miR-200, which mediates the functional activity of miR-200 in CAFs. NRP2-VEGFR signaling facilitates the secretion of VEGF-D and pleiotrophin from CAFs, leading to the activation of cancer cell migration and invasion. These findings suggest that miR-200 remodels CAFs to impede cancer progression and metastasis and that miR-200 and NRP2 are potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inyoung Cheon
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Inflammation-Cancer Microenvironment Research Center, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 07804, Korea
| | - Sieun Lee
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Inflammation-Cancer Microenvironment Research Center, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 07804, Korea
| | - Seonyeong Oh
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Inflammation-Cancer Microenvironment Research Center, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 07804, Korea
| | - Young-Ho Ahn
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Inflammation-Cancer Microenvironment Research Center, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 07804, Korea
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Rhodes JD, Goldenring JR, Lee SH. Regulation of metaplasia and dysplasia in the stomach by the stromal microenvironment. Exp Mol Med 2024:10.1038/s12276-024-01240-z. [PMID: 38825636 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-024-01240-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Research on the microenvironment associated with gastric carcinogenesis has focused on cancers of the stomach and often underestimates premalignant stages such as metaplasia and dysplasia. Since epithelial interactions with T cells, macrophages, and type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are indispensable for the formation of precancerous lesions in the stomach, understanding the cellular interactions that promote gastric precancer warrants further investigation. Although various types of immune cells have been shown to play important roles in gastric carcinogenesis, it remains unclear how stromal cells such as fibroblasts influence epithelial transformation in the stomach, especially during precancerous stages. Fibroblasts exist as distinct populations across tissues and perform different functions depending on the expression patterns of cell surface markers and secreted factors. In this review, we provide an overview of known microenvironmental components in the stroma with an emphasis on fibroblast subpopulations and their roles during carcinogenesis in tissues including breast, pancreas, and stomach. Additionally, we offer insights into potential targets of tumor-promoting fibroblasts and identify open areas of research related to fibroblast plasticity and the modulation of gastric carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared D Rhodes
- Program in Cancer Biology, Nashville, TN, USA
- Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - James R Goldenring
- Program in Cancer Biology, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Section of Surgical Sciences, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Nashville VA Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Su-Hyung Lee
- Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Section of Surgical Sciences, Nashville, TN, USA.
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Aney KJ, Jeong WJ, Vallejo AF, Burdziak C, Chen E, Wang A, Koak P, Wise K, Jensen K, Pe'er D, Dougan SK, Martelotto L, Nissim S. Novel Approach for Pancreas Transcriptomics Reveals the Cellular Landscape in Homeostasis and Acute Pancreatitis. Gastroenterology 2024; 166:1100-1113. [PMID: 38325760 PMCID: PMC11102849 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2024.01.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Acinar cells produce digestive enzymes that impede transcriptomic characterization of the exocrine pancreas. Thus, single-cell RNA-sequencing studies of the pancreas underrepresent acinar cells relative to histological expectations, and a robust approach to capture pancreatic cell responses in disease states is needed. We sought to innovate a method that overcomes these challenges to accelerate study of the pancreas in health and disease. METHODS We leverage FixNCut, a single-cell RNA-sequencing approach in which tissue is reversibly fixed with dithiobis(succinimidyl propionate) before dissociation and single-cell preparation. We apply FixNCut to an established mouse model of acute pancreatitis, validate findings using GeoMx whole transcriptome atlas profiling, and integrate our data with prior studies to compare our method in both mouse and human pancreas datasets. RESULTS FixNCut achieves unprecedented definition of challenging pancreatic cells, including acinar and immune populations in homeostasis and acute pancreatitis, and identifies changes in all major cell types during injury and recovery. We define the acinar transcriptome during homeostasis and acinar-to-ductal metaplasia and establish a unique gene set to measure deviation from normal acinar identity. We characterize pancreatic immune cells, and analysis of T-cell subsets reveals a polarization of the homeostatic pancreas toward type-2 immunity. We report immune responses during acute pancreatitis and recovery, including early neutrophil infiltration, expansion of dendritic cell subsets, and a substantial shift in the transcriptome of macrophages due to both resident macrophage activation and monocyte infiltration. CONCLUSIONS FixNCut preserves pancreatic transcriptomes to uncover novel cell states during homeostasis and following pancreatitis, establishing a broadly applicable approach and reference atlas for study of pancreas biology and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine J Aney
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Health Sciences & Technology Program, Harvard-MIT, Boston, Massachusetts; Genetics Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Woo-Jeong Jeong
- Genetics Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Cassandra Burdziak
- Computational and Systems Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Ethan Chen
- Genetics Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Austin Wang
- Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Pal Koak
- Genetics Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kellie Wise
- Adelaide Centre for Epigenetics (ACE), University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI), University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Kirk Jensen
- Adelaide Centre for Epigenetics (ACE), University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI), University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Australian Genome Research Facility, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Dana Pe'er
- Computational and Systems Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland
| | - Stephanie K Dougan
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Luciano Martelotto
- Adelaide Centre for Epigenetics (ACE), University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI), University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
| | - Sahar Nissim
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Health Sciences & Technology Program, Harvard-MIT, Boston, Massachusetts; Genetics Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts; Gastroenterology Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
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6
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Wattenberg MM, Colby S, Garrido-Laguna I, Xue Y, Chang R, Delman D, Lee J, Affolter K, Mulvihill SJ, Beg MS, Wang-Gillam A, Wade JL, Guthrie KA, Chiorean EG, Ahmad SA, Lowy AM, Philip PA, Sohal DPS, Beatty GL. Intratumoral Cell Neighborhoods Coordinate Outcomes in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Gastroenterology 2024; 166:1114-1129. [PMID: 38244727 PMCID: PMC11102852 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2024.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a highly lethal disease characterized by a spatially heterogeneous tumor microenvironment. Within the PDA microenvironment, cells organize into communities where cell fate is influenced by neighboring cells of diverse ontogeny and function. However, it remains unclear how cell neighborhoods in the tumor microenvironment evolve with treatment and impact clinical outcomes. METHODS Here, using automated chromogenic multiplex immunohistochemistry and unsupervised computational image analysis of human PDA tumors, we investigated cell neighborhoods in surgically resected tumors from patients with chemotherapy-naïve PDA (n = 59) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy-treated PDA (n = 57). Single cells were defined by lineage markers (CD3, CD8, Foxp3, CD68, CK19), proliferation (Ki67), and neighboring cells. RESULTS Distinct intratumoral immune and tumor cell subsets were defined by neighboring cells. Higher content of stromal-associated macrophages was seen in chemotherapy-naïve tumors from long-term survivors (overall survival >3 years) compared with short-term survivors (overall survival <1 year), whereas immune-excluded tumor cells were higher in short-term survivors. Chemotherapy-treated vs -naïve tumors showed lower content of tumor-associated T cells and macrophages but similar densities of stromal-associated immune cells. However, proliferating tumor cell subsets with immune-rich neighborhoods were higher in chemotherapy-treated tumors. In a blinded analysis of tumors from patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, a composite index comprising lower quantities of immune-excluded tumor cells and higher spatially distinct immune cell subsets was associated with prolonged survival. CONCLUSIONS Together, these data provide new insights into discrete cell communities in PDA and show their clinical relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max M Wattenberg
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Sarah Colby
- SWOG Statistics and Data Management Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Ignacio Garrido-Laguna
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Yuqing Xue
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Renee Chang
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Devora Delman
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Jesse Lee
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Kajsa Affolter
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Sean J Mulvihill
- Department of Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | | | | | | | - Katherine A Guthrie
- SWOG Statistics and Data Management Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - E Gabriela Chiorean
- University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington
| | | | - Andrew M Lowy
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, UC San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Philip Agop Philip
- Henry Ford Health, Wayne State University, Oncology and Pharmacology, Detroit, Michigan
| | | | - Gregory L Beatty
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Zhang D, Cui F, Zheng K, Li W, Liu Y, Wu C, Peng L, Yang Z, Chen Q, Xia C, Li S, Jin Z, Xu X, Jin G, Li Z, Huang H. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals the process of CA19-9 production and dynamics of the immune microenvironment between CA19-9 (+) and CA19-9 (-) PDAC. Chin Med J (Engl) 2024:00029330-990000000-01091. [PMID: 38816396 DOI: 10.1097/cm9.0000000000003130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the main types of malignant tumor of the digestive system, and patient prognosis is affected by difficulties in early diagnosis, poor treatment response, and a high postoperative recurrence rate. Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) has been widely used as a biomarker for the diagnosis and postoperative follow-up of PDAC patients. Nevertheless, the production mechanism and potential role of CA19-9 in PDAC progression have not yet been elucidated. METHODS We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on six samples pathologically diagnosed as PDAC (three CA19-9-positive and three CA19-9-negative PDAC samples) and two paracarcinoma samples. We also downloaded and integrated PDAC samples (three each from CA19-9-positive and CA19-9-negative patients) from an online database. The dynamics of the proportion and potential function of each cell type were verified through immunofluorescence. Moreover, we built an in vitro coculture cellular model to confirm the potential function of CA19-9. RESULTS Three subtypes of cancer cells with a high ability to produce CA19-9 were identified by the markers TOP2A, AQP5, and MUC5AC. CA19-9 production bypass was discovered on antigen-presenting cancer-associated fibroblasts (apCAFs). Importantly, the proportion of immature ficolin-1 positive (FCN1+) macrophages was high in the CA19-9-negative group, and the proportion of mature M2-like macrophages was high in the CA19-9-positive group. High proportions of these two macrophage subtypes were associated with an unfavourable clinical prognosis. Further experiments indicated that CA19-9 could facilitate the transformation of M0 macrophages into M2 macrophages in the tumor microenvironment. CONCLUSIONS Our study described CA19-9 production at single-cell resolution and the dynamics of the immune atlas in CA19-9-positive and CA19-9-negative PDAC. CA19-9 could promote M2 polarization of macrophage in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deyu Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Fang Cui
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Kailian Zheng
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Wanshun Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yue Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Chang Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Lisi Peng
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Zhenghui Yang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Qianqian Chen
- College of Life Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350000, China
| | - Chuanchao Xia
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Shiyu Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Zhendong Jin
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Xiaojiang Xu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70115 USA
- School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70115 USA
| | - Gang Jin
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Zhaoshen Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Haojie Huang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
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8
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Agorku DJ, Bosio A, Alves F, Ströbel P, Hardt O. Colorectal cancer-associated fibroblasts inhibit effector T cells via NECTIN2 signaling. Cancer Lett 2024:216985. [PMID: 38821255 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216985] [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: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts play a crucial role within the tumor microenvironment. However, a comprehensive characterization of CAF in colorectal cancer (CRC) is still missing. We combined scRNA-seq and spatial proteomics to decipher fibroblast heterogeneity in healthy human colon and CRC at high resolution. Analyzing nearly 23,000 fibroblasts, we identified 11 distinct clusters and verified them by spatial proteomics. Four clusters, consisting of myofibroblastic CAF (myCAF)-like, inflammatory CAF (iCAF)-like and proliferating fibroblasts as well as a novel cluster, which we named "T cell-inhibiting CAF" (TinCAF), were primarily found in CRC. This new cluster was characterized by the expression of immune-interacting receptors and ligands, including CD40 and NECTIN2. Co-culture of CAF and T cells resulted in a reduction of the effector T cell compartment, impaired proliferation, and increased exhaustion. By blocking its receptor interaction, we demonstrated that NECTIN2 was the key driver of T cell inhibition. Analysis of clinical datasets showed that NECTIN2 expression is a poor prognostic factor in CRC and other tumors. In conclusion, we identified a new class of immuno-suppressive CAF with features rendering them a potential target for future immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Agorku
- Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG , Bergisch Gladbach, Germany; University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), Institute of Pathology, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - Andreas Bosio
- Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG , Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
| | - Frauke Alves
- University Medical Center Göttingen, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany; University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Translational Molecular Imaging, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - Philipp Ströbel
- University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), Institute of Pathology, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - Olaf Hardt
- Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG , Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
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9
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Lior C, Barki D, Halperin C, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA, Kelsen D, Shouval RS. Mapping the tumor stress network reveals dynamic shifts in the stromal oxidative stress response. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114236. [PMID: 38758650 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114236] [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: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) presents cells with challenges such as variable pH, hypoxia, and free radicals, triggering stress responses that affect cancer progression. In this study, we examine the stress response landscape in four carcinomas-breast, pancreas, ovary, and prostate-across five pathways: heat shock, oxidative stress, hypoxia, DNA damage, and unfolded protein stress. Using a combination of experimental and computational methods, we create an atlas of stress responses across various types of carcinomas. We find that stress responses vary within the TME and are especially active near cancer cells. Focusing on the non-immune stroma we find, across tumor types, that NRF2 and the oxidative stress response are distinctly activated in immune-regulatory cancer-associated fibroblasts and in a unique subset of cancer-associated pericytes. Our study thus provides an interactome of stress responses in cancer, offering ways to intersect survival pathways within the tumor, and advance cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Lior
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Debra Barki
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Coral Halperin
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Christine A Iacobuzio-Donahue
- Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research and Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - David Kelsen
- Gastrointestinal Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ruth Scherz- Shouval
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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10
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Wang L, Hu Y, Xiao K, Zhang C, Shi Q, Chen L. Multi-modal domain adaptation for revealing spatial functional landscape from spatially resolved transcriptomics. Brief Bioinform 2024; 25:bbae257. [PMID: 38819253 PMCID: PMC11141295 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbae257] [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] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 04/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) has emerged as a powerful tool for investigating gene expression in spatial contexts, providing insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying organ development and disease pathology. However, the expression sparsity poses a computational challenge to integrate other modalities (e.g. histological images and spatial locations) that are simultaneously captured in SRT datasets for spatial clustering and variation analyses. In this study, to meet such a challenge, we propose multi-modal domain adaption for spatial transcriptomics (stMDA), a novel multi-modal unsupervised domain adaptation method, which integrates gene expression and other modalities to reveal the spatial functional landscape. Specifically, stMDA first learns the modality-specific representations from spatial multi-modal data using multiple neural network architectures and then aligns the spatial distributions across modal representations to integrate these multi-modal representations, thus facilitating the integration of global and spatially local information and improving the consistency of clustering assignments. Our results demonstrate that stMDA outperforms existing methods in identifying spatial domains across diverse platforms and species. Furthermore, stMDA excels in identifying spatially variable genes with high prognostic potential in cancer tissues. In conclusion, stMDA as a new tool of multi-modal data integration provides a powerful and flexible framework for analyzing SRT datasets, thereby advancing our understanding of intricate biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lequn Wang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 320 Yue Yang Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 80 Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yaofeng Hu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Xiangshan Lane, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Kai Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 320 Yue Yang Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 80 Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chuanchao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Xiangshan Lane, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Qianqian Shi
- Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center of Agricultural Big Data, Huazhong Agricultural University, No. 1 Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, No. 1 Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China
| | - Luonan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 320 Yue Yang Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 80 Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100049, China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Xiangshan Lane, Hangzhou 310024, China
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11
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Qian H, Deng C, Chen S, Zhang X, He Y, Lan J, Wang A, Shi G, Liu Y. Targeting pathogenic fibroblast-like synoviocyte subsets in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Res Ther 2024; 26:103. [PMID: 38783357 PMCID: PMC11112866 DOI: 10.1186/s13075-024-03343-4] [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] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) play a central role in RA pathogenesis and are the main cellular component in the inflamed synovium of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). FLSs are emerging as promising new therapeutic targets in RA. However, fibroblasts perform many essential functions that are required for sustaining tissue homeostasis. Direct targeting of general fibroblast markers on FLSs is challenging because fibroblasts in other tissues might be altered and side effects such as reduced wound healing or fibrosis can occur. To date, no FLS-specific targeted therapies have been applied in the clinical management of RA. With the help of high-throughput technologies such as scRNA-seq in recent years, several specific pathogenic FLS subsets in RA have been identified. Understanding the characteristics of these pathogenic FLS clusters and the mechanisms that drive their differentiation can provide new insights into the development of novel FLS-targeting strategies for RA. Here, we discuss the pathogenic FLS subsets in RA that have been elucidated in recent years and potential strategies for targeting pathogenic FLSs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Qian
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, 55th, Zhenhai Road, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
- Xiamen Municipal Clinical Research Center for Immune Diseases, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
- Xiamen Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
| | - Chaoqiong Deng
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, 55th, Zhenhai Road, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
| | - Shiju Chen
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, 55th, Zhenhai Road, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
- Xiamen Municipal Clinical Research Center for Immune Diseases, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
- Xiamen Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
| | - Xinwei Zhang
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, 55th, Zhenhai Road, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
- Xiamen Municipal Clinical Research Center for Immune Diseases, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
- Xiamen Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
| | - Yan He
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, 55th, Zhenhai Road, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
- Xiamen Municipal Clinical Research Center for Immune Diseases, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
- Xiamen Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
| | - Jingying Lan
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, 55th, Zhenhai Road, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
| | - Aodi Wang
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, 55th, Zhenhai Road, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China
| | - Guixiu Shi
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, 55th, Zhenhai Road, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China.
- Xiamen Municipal Clinical Research Center for Immune Diseases, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China.
- Xiamen Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China.
| | - Yuan Liu
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, 55th, Zhenhai Road, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China.
- Xiamen Municipal Clinical Research Center for Immune Diseases, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China.
- Xiamen Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Xiamen, XM, 361000, China.
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12
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Mori Y, Okimoto Y, Sakai H, Kanda Y, Ohata H, Shiokawa D, Suzuki M, Yoshida H, Ueda H, Sekizuka T, Tamura R, Yamawaki K, Ishiguro T, Mateos RN, Shiraishi Y, Yatabe Y, Hamada A, Yoshihara K, Enomoto T, Okamoto K. Targeting PDGF signaling of cancer-associated fibroblasts blocks feedback activation of HIF-1α and tumor progression of clear cell ovarian cancer. Cell Rep Med 2024; 5:101532. [PMID: 38670097 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101532] [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: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) is a gynecological cancer with a dismal prognosis; however, the mechanism underlying OCCC chemoresistance is not well understood. To explore the intracellular networks associated with the chemoresistance, we analyze surgical specimens by performing integrative analyses that combine single-cell analyses and spatial transcriptomics. We find that a chemoresistant OCCC subpopulation with elevated HIF activity localizes mainly in areas populated by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) with a myofibroblastic phenotype, which is corroborated by quantitative immunostaining. CAF-enhanced chemoresistance and HIF-1α induction are recapitulated in co-culture assays, which show that cancer-derived platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) contributes to the chemoresistance and HIF-1α induction via PDGF receptor signaling in CAFs. Ripretinib is identified as an effective receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor against CAF survival. In the co-culture system and xenograft tumors, ripretinib prevents CAF survival and suppresses OCCC proliferation in the presence of carboplatin, indicating that combination of conventional chemotherapy and CAF-targeted agents is effective against OCCC.
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MESH Headings
- Female
- Humans
- Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts/metabolism
- Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts/pathology
- Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts/drug effects
- Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism
- Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/genetics
- Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology
- Ovarian Neoplasms/metabolism
- Ovarian Neoplasms/drug therapy
- Ovarian Neoplasms/genetics
- Platelet-Derived Growth Factor/metabolism
- Signal Transduction/drug effects
- Animals
- Mice
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/drug effects
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics
- Disease Progression
- Coculture Techniques
- Cell Proliferation/drug effects
- Mice, Nude
- Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell/metabolism
- Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell/pathology
- Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell/drug therapy
- Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell/genetics
- Feedback, Physiological/drug effects
- Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutaro Mori
- Advanced Comprehensive Research Organization, Teikyo University, Tokyo 173-0003, Japan; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8520, Japan
| | - Yoshie Okimoto
- Advanced Comprehensive Research Organization, Teikyo University, Tokyo 173-0003, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Sakai
- Advanced Comprehensive Research Organization, Teikyo University, Tokyo 173-0003, Japan
| | - Yusuke Kanda
- Advanced Comprehensive Research Organization, Teikyo University, Tokyo 173-0003, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Ohata
- Advanced Comprehensive Research Organization, Teikyo University, Tokyo 173-0003, Japan
| | - Daisuke Shiokawa
- Ehime University Hospital Translational Research Center, Shitsukawa, Toon, Ehime 791-0295, Japan
| | - Mikiko Suzuki
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Yoshida
- Department of Diagnostic Pathology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
| | - Haruka Ueda
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8520, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Sekizuka
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8520, Japan
| | - Ryo Tamura
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8520, Japan
| | - Kaoru Yamawaki
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8520, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Ishiguro
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8520, Japan
| | - Raul Nicolas Mateos
- Division of Genome Analysis Platform Development, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
| | - Yuichi Shiraishi
- Division of Genome Analysis Platform Development, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
| | - Yasushi Yatabe
- Department of Diagnostic Pathology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
| | - Akinobu Hamada
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
| | - Kosuke Yoshihara
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8520, Japan
| | - Takayuki Enomoto
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8520, Japan
| | - Koji Okamoto
- Advanced Comprehensive Research Organization, Teikyo University, Tokyo 173-0003, Japan.
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13
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Liu Y, Han X, Han Y, Bi J, Wu Y, Xiang D, Zhang Y, Bi W, Xu M, Li J. Integrated transcriptomic analysis systematically reveals the heterogeneity and molecular characterization of cancer-associated fibroblasts in osteosarcoma. Gene 2024; 907:148286. [PMID: 38367852 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148286] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Osteosarcoma (OS), with a peak incidence during the adolescent growth spurt, is correlated with poor prognosis for its high malignancy. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is highly complicated, with frequent interactions between tumor and stromal cells. The cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the TME have been considered to actively involve in the progression, metastasis, and drug resistance of OS. This study aimed to characterize cellular heterogeneity and molecular characterization in CAFs subtypes and explore the potential targeting therapeutic strategies to improve the prognosis of OS patients. METHODS The single-cell atlas of human OS tumor lesions were constructed from the GEO database. Then significant marker genes and potential biological functions for each CAFs subtype were identified and explored using the Seurat R package. Next, by performing the survival analyses and constructing the risk scores for CAFs subtypes, we aimed to identify and characterize the prognostic values of specific marker genes and different CAFs subtypes. Furthermore, we explored the therapeutic targets and innovative drugs targeting different CAFs subtypes based on the GDSC database. Finally, prognoses related CAFs subtypes were further validated through immunohistochemistry (IHC) on clinical OS specimens. RESULTS Overall, nine main cell clusters and five subtypes of CAFs were identified. The differentially expressed marker genes for each CAFs clusters were then identified. Moreover, through Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, we defined the CAFs_2 (upregulated CXCL14 and C3), which was closely related to leukocyte migration and chemotaxis, as inflammatory CAFs (iCAFs). Likewise, we defined the CAFs_4 (upregulated CD74, HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB1), which was closely related to antigen process and presentation, as antigen-presenting CAFs (apCAFs). Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier analyses showed that CAFs_2 and CAFs_4 were correlated with poor clinical prognosis of OS patients. Meanwhile, therapeutic drugs targeting CAFs_2 and CAFs_4, such as 17-AAG/Docetaxel/Bleomycin and PHA-793887/NG-25/KIN001-102, were also explored, respectively. Finally, IHC assay confirmed the abundant CAFs_2 and CAFs_4 subtypes infiltration in the OS microenvironment compared with adjacent tissues. CONCLUSION Our study revealed the diversity, complexity, and heterogeneity of CAFs in OS, and complemented the single-cell atlas in OS TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyang Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force, Kunming 650032, Yunnan, China; Chinese PLA Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Center, Kunming, Yunnan 650032, China
| | - Xinli Han
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300074, China
| | - Yuchen Han
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China; Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China
| | - Jingyou Bi
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Yanan Wu
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Dongquan Xiang
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Yinglong Zhang
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Wenzhi Bi
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China; School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300074, China; Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China
| | - Meng Xu
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China; Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China.
| | - Jianxiong Li
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China.
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14
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Lau R, Yu L, Roumeliotis TI, Stewart A, Pickard L, Choudhary JS, Banerji U. Secretome of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) Influences Drug Sensitivity in Cancer Cells. J Proteome Res 2024. [PMID: 38767394 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c00112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Resistance is a major problem with effective cancer treatment and the stroma forms a significant portion of the tumor mass but traditional drug screens involve cancer cells alone. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a major tumor stroma component and its secreted proteins may influence the function of cancer cells. The majority of secretome studies compare different cancer or CAF cell lines exclusively. Here, we present the direct characterization of the secreted protein profiles between CAFs and KRAS mutant-cancer cell lines from colorectal, lung, and pancreatic tissues using multiplexed mass spectrometry. 2573 secreted proteins were annotated, and differential analysis highlighted understudied CAF-enriched secreted proteins, including Wnt family member 5B (WNT5B), in addition to established CAF markers, such as collagens. The functional role of CAF secreted proteins was explored by assessing its effect on the response to 97 anticancer drugs since stromal cells may cause a differing cancer drug response, which may be missed on routine drug screening using cancer cells alone. CAF secreted proteins caused specific effects on each of the cancer cell lines, which highlights the complexity and challenges in cancer treatment and so the importance to consider stromal elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Lau
- Clinical Pharmacology and Adaptive Therapy Group, The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London SM2 5PT, United Kingdom
| | - Lu Yu
- Functional Proteomics Group, Chester Beatty Laboratories, The Institute of Cancer Research, London SW3 6JB, United Kingdom
| | - Theodoros I Roumeliotis
- Functional Proteomics Group, Chester Beatty Laboratories, The Institute of Cancer Research, London SW3 6JB, United Kingdom
| | - Adam Stewart
- Clinical Pharmacology and Adaptive Therapy Group, The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London SM2 5PT, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa Pickard
- Clinical Pharmacology and Adaptive Therapy Group, The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London SM2 5PT, United Kingdom
| | - Jyoti S Choudhary
- Functional Proteomics Group, Chester Beatty Laboratories, The Institute of Cancer Research, London SW3 6JB, United Kingdom
| | - Udai Banerji
- Clinical Pharmacology and Adaptive Therapy Group, The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London SM2 5PT, United Kingdom
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15
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Vendramini-Costa DB, Francescone R, Franco-Barraza J, Luong T, Graves M, de Aquino AM, Steele N, Gardiner JC, Dos Santos SAA, Ogier C, Malloy E, Borghaei L, Martinez E, Zhigarev DI, Tan Y, Lee H, Zhou Y, Cai KQ, Klein-Szanto AJ, Wang H, Andrake M, Dunbrack RL, Campbell K, Cukierman E. Netrin G1 Ligand is a new stromal immunomodulator that promotes pancreatic cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.15.594354. [PMID: 38798370 PMCID: PMC11118300 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.15.594354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Understanding pancreatic cancer biology is fundamental for identifying new targets and for developing more effective therapies. In particular, the contribution of the stromal microenvironment to pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis requires further exploration. Here, we report the stromal roles of the synaptic protein Netrin G1 Ligand (NGL-1) in pancreatic cancer, uncovering its pro-tumor functions in cancer-associated fibroblasts and in immune cells. We observed that the stromal expression of NGL-1 inversely correlated with patients' overall survival. Moreover, germline knockout (KO) mice for NGL-1 presented decreased tumor burden, with a microenvironment that is less supportive of tumor growth. Of note, tumors from NGL-1 KO mice produced less immunosuppressive cytokines and displayed an increased percentage of CD8 + T cells than those from control mice, while preserving the physical structure of the tumor microenvironment. These effects were shown to be mediated by NGL-1 in both immune cells and in the local stroma, in a TGF-β-dependent manner. While myeloid cells lacking NGL-1 decreased the production of immunosuppressive cytokines, NGL-1 KO T cells showed increased proliferation rates and overall polyfunctionality compared to control T cells. CAFs lacking NGL-1 were less immunosuppressive than controls, with overall decreased production of pro-tumor cytokines and compromised ability to inhibit CD8 + T cells activation. Mechanistically, these CAFs downregulated components of the TGF-β pathway, AP-1 and NFAT transcription factor families, resulting in a less tumor-supportive phenotype. Finally, targeting NGL-1 genetically or using a functionally antagonistic small peptide phenocopied the effects of chemotherapy, while modulating the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), rather than eliminating it. We propose NGL-1 as a new local stroma and immunomodulatory molecule, with pro-tumor roles in pancreatic cancer. Statement of Significance Here we uncovered the pro-tumor roles of the synaptic protein NGL-1 in the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer, defining a new target that simultaneously modulates tumor cell, fibroblast, and immune cell functions. This study reports a new pathway where NGL-1 controls TGF-β, AP-1 transcription factor members and NFAT1, modulating the immunosuppressive microenvironment in pancreatic cancer. Our findings highlight NGL-1 as a new stromal immunomodulator in pancreatic cancer.
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16
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Peng XL, Kharitonova EV, Xu Y, Kearney JF, Luan C, Chan PS, Hariharan A, McCabe IC, Leary JR, Morrison AB, Trembath HE, LaBella ME, Herera Loeza SG, Cliff A, Kim HJ, Belt BA, Panni RZ, Linehan DC, Damrauer JS, Iuga AC, Kim WY, Rashid NU, Yeh JJ. Determination of permissive and restraining cancer-associated fibroblast (DeCAF) subtypes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.14.594197. [PMID: 38798565 PMCID: PMC11118336 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.14.594197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) subpopulations in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) have been identified using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) with divergent characteristics, but their clinical relevance remains unclear. We translate scRNAseq-derived CAF cell-subpopulation-specific marker genes to bulk RNAseq data, and develop a single- sample classifier, DeCAF, for the classification of clinically rest raining and perm issive CAF subtypes. We validate DeCAF in 19 independent bulk transcriptomic datasets across four tumor types (PDAC, mesothelioma, bladder and renal cell carcinoma). DeCAF subtypes have distinct histology features, immune landscapes, and are prognostic and predict response to therapy across cancer types. We demonstrate that DeCAF is clinically replicable and robust for the classification of CAF subtypes in patients for multiple tumor types, providing a better framework for the future development and translation of therapies against permissive CAF subtypes and preservation of restraining CAF subtypes. Significance We introduce a replicable and robust classifier, DeCAF, that delineates the significance of the role of permissive and restraining CAF subtypes in cancer patients. DeCAF is clinically tractable, prognostic and predictive of treatment response in multiple cancer types and lays the translational groundwork for the preclinical and clinical development of CAF subtype specific therapies.
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17
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Worley J, Noh H, You D, Turunen MM, Ding H, Paull E, Griffin AT, Grunn A, Zhang M, Guillan K, Bush EC, Brosius SJ, Hibshoosh H, Mundi PS, Sims P, Dalerba P, Dela Cruz FS, Kung AL, Califano A. Identification and Pharmacological Targeting of Treatment-Resistant, Stem-like Breast Cancer Cells for Combination Therapy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.11.08.562798. [PMID: 38798673 PMCID: PMC11118419 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.08.562798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Tumors frequently harbor isogenic yet epigenetically distinct subpopulations of multi-potent cells with high tumor-initiating potential-often called Cancer Stem-Like Cells (CSLCs). These can display preferential resistance to standard-of-care chemotherapy. Single-cell analyses can help elucidate Master Regulator (MR) proteins responsible for governing the transcriptional state of these cells, thus revealing complementary dependencies that may be leveraged via combination therapy. Interrogation of single-cell RNA sequencing profiles from seven metastatic breast cancer patients, using perturbational profiles of clinically relevant drugs, identified drugs predicted to invert the activity of MR proteins governing the transcriptional state of chemoresistant CSLCs, which were then validated by CROP-seq assays. The top drug, the anthelmintic albendazole, depleted this subpopulation in vivo without noticeable cytotoxicity. Moreover, sequential cycles of albendazole and paclitaxel-a commonly used chemotherapeutic -displayed significant synergy in a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) from a TNBC patient, suggesting that network-based approaches can help develop mechanism-based combinatorial therapies targeting complementary subpopulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Worley
- Department of Systems Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
- J.P. Sulzberger Columbia Genome Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY USA 10032
| | - Heeju Noh
- Department of Systems Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
| | - Daoqi You
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Mikko M Turunen
- Department of Systems Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
| | - Hongxu Ding
- Department of Systems Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
- Department of Pharmacy Practice & Science, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA 85721
| | - Evan Paull
- Department of Systems Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
| | - Aaron T Griffin
- Department of Systems Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
| | - Adina Grunn
- Department of Systems Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
| | - Mingxuan Zhang
- Department of Systems Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
| | - Kristina Guillan
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Erin C Bush
- Department of Systems Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
| | - Samantha J Brosius
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Hanina Hibshoosh
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
- Department of Pathology & Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
| | - Prabhjot S Mundi
- Department of Systems Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
| | - Peter Sims
- Department of Systems Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
| | - Piero Dalerba
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
- Department of Pathology & Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
- Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
- Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
| | - Filemon S Dela Cruz
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Andrew L Kung
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Andrea Califano
- Department of Systems Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA 10032
- J.P. Sulzberger Columbia Genome Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY USA 10032
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18
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Kazakova AN, Lukina MM, Anufrieva KS, Bekbaeva IV, Ivanova OM, Shnaider PV, Slonov A, Arapidi GP, Shender VO. Exploring the diversity of cancer-associated fibroblasts: insights into mechanisms of drug resistance. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1403122. [PMID: 38818409 PMCID: PMC11137237 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1403122] [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: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Among the various stromal cell types within the tumor microenvironment, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) emerge as the predominant constituent, exhibiting a diverse array of oncogenic functions not intrinsic to normal fibroblasts. Their involvement spans across all stages of tumorigenesis, encompassing initiation, progression, and metastasis. Current understanding posits the coexistence of distinct subpopulations of CAFs within the tumor microenvironment across a spectrum of solid tumors, showcasing both pro- and antitumor activities. Recent advancements in single-cell transcriptomics have revolutionized our ability to meticulously dissect the heterogeneity inherent to CAF populations. Furthermore, accumulating evidence underscores the pivotal role of CAFs in conferring therapeutic resistance to tumors against various drug modalities. Consequently, efforts are underway to develop pharmacological agents specifically targeting CAFs. Methods: This review embarks on a comprehensive analysis, consolidating data from 36 independent single-cell RNA sequencing investigations spanning 17 distinct human malignant tumor types. Results: Our exploration centers on elucidating CAF population markers, discerning their prognostic relevance, delineating their functional contributions, and elucidating the underlying mechanisms orchestrating chemoresistance. Discussion: Finally, we deliberate on the therapeutic potential of harnessing CAFs as promising targets for intervention strategies in clinical oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia N. Kazakova
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria M. Lukina
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Institute of Experimental Oncology and Biomedical Technologies, Privolzhsky Research Medical University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | - Ksenia S. Anufrieva
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Irina V. Bekbaeva
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Olga M. Ivanova
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Polina V. Shnaider
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrey Slonov
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Georgij P. Arapidi
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Victoria O. Shender
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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19
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Musiu C, Lupo F, Agostini A, Lionetto G, Bevere M, Paiella S, Carbone C, Corbo V, Ugel S, De Sanctis F. Cellular collusion: cracking the code of immunosuppression and chemo resistance in PDAC. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1341079. [PMID: 38817612 PMCID: PMC11137177 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1341079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite the efforts, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is still highly lethal. Therapeutic challenges reside in late diagnosis and establishment of peculiar tumor microenvironment (TME) supporting tumor outgrowth. This stromal landscape is highly heterogeneous between patients and even in the same patient. The organization of functional sub-TME with different cellular compositions provides evolutive advantages and sustains therapeutic resistance. Tumor progressively establishes a TME that can suit its own needs, including proliferation, stemness and invasion. Cancer-associated fibroblasts and immune cells, the main non-neoplastic cellular TME components, follow soluble factors-mediated neoplastic instructions and synergize to promote chemoresistance and immune surveillance destruction. Unveiling heterotypic stromal-neoplastic interactions is thus pivotal to breaking this synergism and promoting the reprogramming of the TME toward an anti-tumor milieu, improving thus the efficacy of conventional and immune-based therapies. We underscore recent advances in the characterization of immune and fibroblast stromal components supporting or dampening pancreatic cancer progression, as well as novel multi-omic technologies improving the current knowledge of PDAC biology. Finally, we put into context how the clinic will translate the acquired knowledge to design new-generation clinical trials with the final aim of improving the outcome of PDAC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Musiu
- Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Francesca Lupo
- Department of Engineering for Innovation Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Antonio Agostini
- Medical Oncology, Department of Translational Medicine, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
- Medical Oncology, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriella Lionetto
- General and Pancreatic Surgery Unit, Pancreas Institute, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Michele Bevere
- ARC-Net Research Centre, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Salvatore Paiella
- General and Pancreatic Surgery Unit, Pancreas Institute, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Carmine Carbone
- Medical Oncology, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Corbo
- Department of Engineering for Innovation Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Stefano Ugel
- Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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20
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Rauth S, Malafa M, Ponnusamy MP, Batra SK. Emerging Trends in Gastrointestinal Cancer Targeted Therapies: Harnessing Tumor Microenvironment, Immune Factors, and Metabolomics Insights. Gastroenterology 2024:S0016-5085(24)04917-5. [PMID: 38759843 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2024.05.005] [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: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are the leading cause of new cancer cases and cancer-related deaths worldwide. The treatment strategies for patients with GI tumors have focused on oncogenic molecular profiles associated with tumor cells. Recent evidence has demonstrated that the tumor cell functions are modulated by its microenvironment, compromising fibroblasts, extracellular matrices, microbiome, immune cells, and the enteric nervous system. Along with the tumor microenvironment components, alterations in key metabolic pathways have emerged as a hallmark of tumor cells. From these perspectives, this review will highlight the functions of different cellular components of the GI tumor microenvironment and their implications for treatment. Furthermore, we discuss the major metabolic reprogramming in GI tumor cells and how understanding metabolic rewiring could lead to new therapeutic strategies. Finally, we briefly summarize the targeted agents currently being studied in GI cancers. Understanding the complex interplay between tumor cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic factors during tumor progression is critical for developing new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanchita Rauth
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Mokenge Malafa
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
| | - Moorthy P Ponnusamy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska; Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska.
| | - Surinder K Batra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska; Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska.
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21
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Rodems BJ, Sharma S, Baker CD, Kaszuba CM, Ito T, Liesveld JL, Calvi LM, Becker MW, Jordan CT, Ashton JM, Bajaj J. Temporal Single Cell Analysis of Leukemia Microenvironment Identifies Taurine-Taurine Transporter Axis as a Key Regulator of Myeloid Leukemia. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.11.593633. [PMID: 38798540 PMCID: PMC11118281 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.11.593633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Signals from the microenvironment are known to be critical for development, sustaining adult stem cells, and for oncogenic progression. While candidate niche-driven signals that can promote cancer progression have been identified1-6, concerted efforts to comprehensively map microenvironmental ligands for cancer stem cell specific surface receptors have been lacking. Here, we use temporal single cell RNA-sequencing to identify molecular cues from the bone marrow stromal niche that engage leukemia stem cells (LSC) during oncogenic progression. We integrate these data with our RNA-seq analysis of human LSCs from distinct aggressive myeloid cancer subtypes and our CRISPR based in vivo LSC dependency map7 to develop a temporal receptor-ligand interactome essential for disease progression. These analyses identify the taurine transporter (TauT)-taurine axis as a critical dependency of myeloid malignancies. We show that taurine production is restricted to the osteolineage population during cancer initiation and expansion. Inhibiting taurine synthesis in osteolineage cells impairs LSC growth and survival. Our experiments with the TauT genetic loss of function murine model indicate that its loss significantly impairs the progression of aggressive myeloid leukemias in vivo by downregulating glycolysis. Further, TauT inhibition using a small molecule strongly impairs the growth and survival of patient derived myeloid leukemia cells. Finally, we show that TauT inhibition can synergize with the clinically approved oxidative phosphorylation inhibitor venetoclax8, 9 to block the growth of primary human leukemia cells. Given that aggressive myeloid leukemias continue to be refractory to current therapies and have poor prognosis, our work indicates targeting the taurine transporter may be of therapeutic significance. Collectively, our data establishes a temporal landscape of stromal signals during cancer progression and identifies taurine-taurine transporter signaling as an important new regulator of myeloid malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J. Rodems
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Sonali Sharma
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Cameron D. Baker
- Genomics Research Center, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Christina M. Kaszuba
- Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Takashi Ito
- Department of Bioscience and Technology, Graduate School of Bioscience and Technology, Fukui Prefectural University, Fukui, Japan
| | - Jane L. Liesveld
- Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Laura M. Calvi
- Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Michael W. Becker
- Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Craig T. Jordan
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - John M. Ashton
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Genomics Research Center, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Jeevisha Bajaj
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
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22
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Chen X, Huang H. Tumor cell-intrinsic epigenetic SETpoint of cancer-associated fibroblasts. Cancer Cell 2024; 42:744-746. [PMID: 38670089 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) exhibit spatial and functional diversity. Here, Niu et al. unveil SETD2's function in lipid metabolism and CAF heterogeneity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. SETD2 deficiency boosts oxidative phosphorylation activity, prompting lipid-laden CAF formation through BMP2 signaling, offering promising therapeutic avenues in personalized cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiongfeng Chen
- Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Huocong Huang
- Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Immunology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
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23
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Niu N, Shen X, Wang Z, Chen Y, Weng Y, Yu F, Tang Y, Lu P, Liu M, Wang L, Sun Y, Yang M, Shen B, Jin J, Lu Z, Jiang K, Shi Y, Xue J. Tumor cell-intrinsic epigenetic dysregulation shapes cancer-associated fibroblasts heterogeneity to metabolically support pancreatic cancer. Cancer Cell 2024; 42:869-884.e9. [PMID: 38579725 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) involves a significant accumulation of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) as part of the host response to tumor cells. The origins and functions of transcriptionally diverse CAF populations in PDAC remain poorly understood. Tumor cell-intrinsic genetic mutations and epigenetic dysregulation may reshape the TME; however, their impacts on CAF heterogeneity remain elusive. SETD2, a histone H3K36 trimethyl-transferase, functions as a tumor suppressor. Through single-cell RNA sequencing, we identify a lipid-laden CAF subpopulation marked by ABCA8a in Setd2-deficient pancreatic tumors. Our findings reveal that tumor-intrinsic SETD2 loss unleashes BMP2 signaling via ectopic gain of H3K27Ac, leading to CAFs differentiation toward lipid-rich phenotype. Lipid-laden CAFs then enhance tumor progression by providing lipids for mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation via ABCA8a transporter. Together, our study links CAF heterogeneity to epigenetic dysregulation in tumor cells, highlighting a previously unappreciated metabolic interaction between CAFs and pancreatic tumor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ningning Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xuqing Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zheng Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yueyue Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yawen Weng
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Feier Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yingying Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ping Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Mingzhu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Liwei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yongwei Sun
- Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Minwei Yang
- Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Baiyong Shen
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiabin Jin
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zipeng Lu
- Pancreas Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Kuirong Jiang
- Pancreas Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Yufeng Shi
- Clinical Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Research, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
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24
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Yang J, Ren B, Yin X, Xiang L, Hua Y, Huang X, Wang H, Mao Z, Chen W, Deng J. Expanded ROS Generation and Hypoxia Reversal: Excipient-free Self-assembled Nanotheranostics for Enhanced Cancer Photodynamic Immunotherapy. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024:e2402720. [PMID: 38734937 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202402720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 05/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
The efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT)-related cancer therapies is significantly restricted by two irreconcilable obstacles, i.e., low reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation capability and hypoxia which constrains the immune response. Herein, this work develops a self-assembled clinical photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG) and the HSP90 inhibitor 17-dimethylaminoethylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-DMAG) nanoparticles (ISDN) without any excipient. This work discovers that the hydrophobic interaction forces between ICG and 17-DMAG promote the photostability of ICG and its intersystem crossing (ISC) process, thereby improving the ROS quantum yield from 0.112 to 0.46. Augmented ROS generation enhances PDT efficacy and further enhances immunogenic cell death (ICD) effects. 17-DMAG inhibits the HSP90/hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) axis to dramatically reverse the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment caused by PDT-aggravated hypoxia. In a mouse model of pancreatic cancer, ISDN markedly improve cytotoxic T lymphocyte infiltration and MHC I and MHC II activation, demonstrating the superior ICD effects in situ tumor and the powerful systematic antitumor immunity generation, eventually achieving vigorous antitumor and recurrence resistance. This study proposes an unsophisticated and versatile strategy to significantly improve PDT efficacy for enhancing systemic antitumor immunity and potentially extending it to multiple cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Bibo Ren
- Institute of Burn Research, Southwest Hospital, State Key Lab of Trauma and Chemical Poisoning, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, 400038, China
- College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Xuntao Yin
- Department of Radiology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou, 510623, China
| | - Lunli Xiang
- Institute of Burn Research, Southwest Hospital, State Key Lab of Trauma and Chemical Poisoning, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - YanQiu Hua
- Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Xue Huang
- Institute of Burn Research, Southwest Hospital, State Key Lab of Trauma and Chemical Poisoning, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Haibo Wang
- College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Zhengwei Mao
- Institute of Burn Research, Southwest Hospital, State Key Lab of Trauma and Chemical Poisoning, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, 400038, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Jun Deng
- Institute of Burn Research, Southwest Hospital, State Key Lab of Trauma and Chemical Poisoning, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, 400038, China
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25
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Xiang H, Pan Y, Sze MA, Wlodarska M, Li L, van de Mark KA, Qamar H, Moure CJ, Linn DE, Hai J, Huo Y, Clarke J, Tan TG, Ho S, Teng KW, Ramli MN, Nebozhyn M, Zhang C, Barlow J, Gustafson CE, Gornisiewicz S, Albertson TP, Korle SL, Bueno R, Moy LY, Vollmann EH, Chiang DY, Brandish PE, Loboda A. Single-Cell Analysis Identifies NOTCH3-Mediated Interactions between Stromal Cells That Promote Microenvironment Remodeling and Invasion in Lung Adenocarcinoma. Cancer Res 2024; 84:1410-1425. [PMID: 38335304 PMCID: PMC11063690 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-1183] [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: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD); however, a significant proportion of patients do not respond. Recent transcriptomic studies to understand determinants of immunotherapy response have pinpointed stromal-mediated resistance mechanisms. To gain a better understanding of stromal biology at the cellular and molecular level in LUAD, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing of 256,379 cells, including 13,857 mesenchymal cells, from 9 treatment-naïve patients. Among the mesenchymal cell subsets, FAP+PDPN+ cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) and ACTA2+MCAM+ pericytes were enriched in tumors and differentiated from lung-resident fibroblasts. Imaging mass cytometry revealed that both subsets were topographically adjacent to the perivascular niche and had close spatial interactions with endothelial cells (EC). Modeling of ligand and receptor interactomes between mesenchymal and ECs identified that NOTCH signaling drives these cell-to-cell interactions in tumors, with pericytes and CAFs as the signal receivers and arterial and PLVAPhigh immature neovascular ECs as the signal senders. Either pharmacologically blocking NOTCH signaling or genetically depleting NOTCH3 levels in mesenchymal cells significantly reduced collagen production and suppressed cell invasion. Bulk RNA sequencing data demonstrated that NOTCH3 expression correlated with poor survival in stroma-rich patients and that a T cell-inflamed gene signature only predicted survival in patients with low NOTCH3. Collectively, this study provides valuable insights into the role of NOTCH3 in regulating tumor stroma biology, warranting further studies to elucidate the clinical implications of targeting NOTCH3 signaling. SIGNIFICANCE NOTCH3 signaling activates tumor-associated mesenchymal cells, increases collagen production, and augments cell invasion in lung adenocarcinoma, suggesting its critical role in remodeling tumor stroma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Handan Xiang
- Discovery Immunology, Merck & Co., Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Yidan Pan
- Data and Genome Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Marc A. Sze
- Data and Genome Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Marta Wlodarska
- Discovery Oncology, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ling Li
- Quantitative Bioscience, MSD, Singapore
| | | | - Haleema Qamar
- Discovery Immunology, Merck & Co., Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Casey J. Moure
- Discovery Oncology, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Douglas E. Linn
- Quantitative Bioscience, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Josephine Hai
- Quantitative Bioscience, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ying Huo
- Quantitative Bioscience, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
| | - James Clarke
- Data and Genome Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Tze Guan Tan
- Discovery Cardiometabolic Diseases, MSD, Singapore
| | - Samantha Ho
- Discovery Cardiometabolic Diseases, MSD, Singapore
| | | | | | - Michael Nebozhyn
- Data and Genome Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Chunsheng Zhang
- Data and Genome Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Julianne Barlow
- The Division of Thoracic Surgery, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Corinne E. Gustafson
- The Division of Thoracic Surgery, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Savanna Gornisiewicz
- The Division of Thoracic Surgery, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Thomas P. Albertson
- The Division of Thoracic Surgery, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Stephanie L. Korle
- The Division of Thoracic Surgery, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Raphael Bueno
- The Division of Thoracic Surgery, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lily Y. Moy
- Quantitative Bioscience, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Derek Y. Chiang
- Data and Genome Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Andrey Loboda
- Data and Genome Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
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26
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Guinn S, Kinny-Köster B, Tandurella JA, Mitchell JT, Sidiropoulos DN, Loth M, Lyman MR, Pucsek AB, Zabransky DJ, Lee JW, Kartalia E, Ramani M, Seppälä TT, Cherry C, Suri R, Zlomke H, Patel J, He J, Wolfgang CL, Yu J, Zheng L, Ryan DP, Ting DT, Kimmelman A, Gupta A, Danilova L, Elisseeff JH, Wood LD, Stein-O’Brien G, Kagohara LT, Jaffee EM, Burkhart RA, Fertig EJ, Zimmerman JW. Transfer Learning Reveals Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Are Associated with Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Inflammation in Cancer Cells in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Cancer Res 2024; 84:1517-1533. [PMID: 38587552 PMCID: PMC11065624 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-1660] [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] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive malignancy characterized by an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment enriched with cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF). This study used a convergence approach to identify tumor cell and CAF interactions through the integration of single-cell data from human tumors with human organoid coculture experiments. Analysis of a comprehensive atlas of PDAC single-cell RNA sequencing data indicated that CAF density is associated with increased inflammation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in epithelial cells. Transfer learning using transcriptional data from patient-derived organoid and CAF cocultures provided in silico validation of CAF induction of inflammatory and EMT epithelial cell states. Further experimental validation in cocultures demonstrated integrin beta 1 (ITGB1) and vascular endothelial factor A (VEGFA) interactions with neuropilin-1 mediating CAF-epithelial cell cross-talk. Together, this study introduces transfer learning from human single-cell data to organoid coculture analyses for experimental validation of discoveries of cell-cell cross-talk and identifies fibroblast-mediated regulation of EMT and inflammation. SIGNIFICANCE Adaptation of transfer learning to relate human single-cell RNA sequencing data to organoid-CAF cocultures facilitates discovery of human pancreatic cancer intercellular interactions and uncovers cross-talk between CAFs and tumor cells through VEGFA and ITGB1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Guinn
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Benedict Kinny-Köster
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Surgery, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Joseph A. Tandurella
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jacob T. Mitchell
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Dimitrios N. Sidiropoulos
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Melanie Loth
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Melissa R. Lyman
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Alexandra B. Pucsek
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Daniel J. Zabransky
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jae W. Lee
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Emma Kartalia
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Mili Ramani
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Toni T. Seppälä
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Centre, Tampere University Hospital
| | - Christopher Cherry
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Translational Tissue Engineering Center, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Reecha Suri
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Haley Zlomke
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jignasha Patel
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jin He
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | | | - Jun Yu
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Lei Zheng
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - David P. Ryan
- The Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - David T. Ting
- The Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alec Kimmelman
- Department of Radiation Oncology at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York
| | - Anuj Gupta
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Ludmila Danilova
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jennifer H. Elisseeff
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Centre, Tampere University Hospital
- Translational Tissue Engineering Center, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Laura D. Wood
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Genevieve Stein-O’Brien
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Luciane T. Kagohara
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Elizabeth M. Jaffee
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Richard A. Burkhart
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Elana J. Fertig
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jacquelyn W. Zimmerman
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
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27
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Hisano K, Mizuuchi Y, Ohuchida K, Kawata J, Torata N, Zhang J, Katayama N, Tsutsumi C, Nakamura S, Okuda S, Otsubo Y, Tamura K, Nagayoshi K, Ikenaga N, Shindo K, Nakata K, Oda Y, Nakamura M. Microenvironmental changes in familial adenomatous polyposis during colorectal cancer carcinogenesis. Cancer Lett 2024; 589:216822. [PMID: 38521200 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216822] [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: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a heritable disease that increases the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) development because of heterozygous mutations in APC. Little is known about the microenvironment of FAP. Here, single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on matched normal tissues, adenomas, and carcinomas from four patients with FAP. We analyzed the transcriptomes of 56,225 unsorted single cells, revealing the heterogeneity of each cell type, and compared gene expression among tissues. Then we compared the gene expression with that of sporadic CRC. Furthermore, we analyzed specimens of 26 FAP patients and 40 sporadic CRC patients by immunohistochemistry. Immunosuppressiveness of myeloid cells, fibroblasts, and regulatory T cells was upregulated even in the early stages of carcinogenesis. CD8+ T cells became exhausted only in carcinoma, although the cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells was gradually increased according to the carcinogenic step. When compared with those in the sporadic CRC microenvironment, the composition and function of each cell type in the FAP-derived CRC microenvironment had differences. Our findings indicate that an immunosuppressive microenvironment is constructed from a precancerous stage in FAP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoko Hisano
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yusuke Mizuuchi
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
| | - Kenoki Ohuchida
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan; Department of Advanced Medical Initiatives, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
| | - Jun Kawata
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan; Department of Anatomical Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Nobuhiro Torata
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Jinghui Zhang
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Naoki Katayama
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Chikanori Tsutsumi
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Shoichi Nakamura
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Sho Okuda
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoshiki Otsubo
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Koji Tamura
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kinuko Nagayoshi
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Naoki Ikenaga
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Koji Shindo
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kohei Nakata
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoshinao Oda
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Masafumi Nakamura
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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28
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Chen Q, Jiang LY, Cao C, Liu FY, Li DR, Wu PF, Jiang KR. Peptidase inhibitor 16 promotes proliferation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells through OASL signaling. Mol Carcinog 2024; 63:938-950. [PMID: 38353288 DOI: 10.1002/mc.23699] [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] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly invasive cancer with a poor prognosis and a 5-year survival rate of less than 11%. As a member of the CAP superfamily of proteins, the role of peptidase inhibitor 16 (Pi16) in tumor progression is still unclear. Immunohistochemistry and quantitative RT-PCR methods were used to detect the expression levels of Pi16 protein and mRNA in PDAC patients. CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to knock out the expression of Pi16 in PDAC cell lines. In vivo and in vitro experiments were used to verify the effect of Pi16 on PDAC proliferation ability. By RNA sequencing, we found that oligoadenylate synthetase L (OASL) can serve as a potential downstream target of Pi16. The expression of Pi16 was higher in PDAC tissues than in matched adjacent tissues. High expression of Pi16 was associated with PDAC progression and poor prognosis. Overexpression of Pi16 could promote the proliferation of PDAC cells in vitro and in vivo. Bioinformatics analysis and coimmunoprecipitation assays showed that Pi16 could bind to OASL. Moreover, the functional recovery test confirmed that Pi16 could promote the proliferation of PDAC via OASL. Our present study demonstrates that Pi16 might participate in the occurrence and development of PDAC by regulating cell proliferation by binding to OASL, indicating that Pi16 might be a promising novel therapeutic target for PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qun Chen
- Pancreas Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lu-Yang Jiang
- Pancreas Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Cheng Cao
- Pancreas Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Feng-Yuan Liu
- Pancreas Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Dan-Rui Li
- Pancreas Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Peng-Fei Wu
- Pancreas Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Kui-Rong Jiang
- Pancreas Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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29
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Lin S, Zhou M, Cheng L, Shuai Z, Zhao M, Jie R, Wan Q, Peng F, Ding S. Exploring the association of POSTN + cancer-associated fibroblasts with triple-negative breast cancer. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 268:131560. [PMID: 38631570 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131560] [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: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer with a poor prognosis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a critical role in regulating TNBC tumor development. This study aimed to identify and characterize a specific subtype of CAFs associated with TNBC. Initially, using high-throughput bulk transcriptomic data in two cohorts, we identified three CAF-related subtypes (CS1, CS2, CS3) in TNBC samples. These three CAFs subtypes were closely linked to the tumor microenvironment. The CS1 subtype exhibited a relatively immune-rich microenvironment and a favourable prognosis, whereas the CS3 subtype displayed an immune-deprived tumor microenvironment and an unfavourable prognosis. Through WGCNA analysis, POSTN was identified as a key biomarker for CAFs associated with TNBC. Then, POSTN+CAFs was identified and characterized. Both POSTN and POSTN+CAFs showed significant positive correlations with stromal molecules HGF and MET at both the transcriptional and protein levels. Specifically co-localized with CAFs in the tumor stromal area, POSTN, produced by POSTN+CAFs, could modulate the HGF-MET axis, serving as a bypass activation pathway to regulate tumor cell proliferation in response to EGFR inhibitor and MET inhibitor. This study underscores the significance of POSTN and POSTN+CAFs as crucial targets for the diagnosis and treatment of TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangyan Lin
- Department of Cell Biology and Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, 57 Zhugan Lane, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang, China; Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 12 Lingyin Rd, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang, China
| | - Miaoni Zhou
- Department of Dermatology, Hangzhou Third People's Hospital, Affiliated Hangzhou Dermatology Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 38 Xihu Rd, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, China
| | - Liying Cheng
- Jiaxing University Medical College, 899 Shiguang Rd, Jiaxing 314001, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhifeng Shuai
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Hospital, 12 Lingyin Rd, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang, China
| | - Mingyuan Zhao
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Hospital, 12 Lingyin Rd, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ruixia Jie
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Hospital, 12 Lingyin Rd, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qun Wan
- Department of Urinary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang, China
| | - Fang Peng
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Hospital, 12 Lingyin Rd, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Shiping Ding
- Department of Cell Biology and Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, 57 Zhugan Lane, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang, China; Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 866 Yuhangtang Rd, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China.
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30
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Zhang X, Zhu R, Yu D, Wang J, Yan Y, Xu K. Single-cell RNA sequencing to explore cancer-associated fibroblasts heterogeneity: "Single" vision for "heterogeneous" environment. Cell Prolif 2024; 57:e13592. [PMID: 38158643 PMCID: PMC11056715 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13592] [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: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a phenotypically and functionally heterogeneous stromal cell, are one of the most important components of the tumour microenvironment. Previous studies have consolidated it as a promising target against cancer. However, variable therapeutic efficacy-both protumor and antitumor effects have been observed not least owing to the strong heterogeneity of CAFs. Over the past 10 years, advances in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies had a dramatic effect on biomedical research, enabling the analysis of single cell transcriptomes with unprecedented resolution and throughput. Specifically, scRNA-seq facilitates our understanding of the complexity and heterogeneity of diverse CAF subtypes. In this review, we discuss the up-to-date knowledge about CAF heterogeneity with a focus on scRNA-seq perspective to investigate the emerging strategies for integrating multimodal single-cell platforms. Furthermore, we summarized the clinical application of scRNA-seq on CAF research. We believe that the comprehensive understanding of the heterogeneity of CAFs form different visions will generate innovative solutions to cancer therapy and achieve clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangjian Zhang
- The Dingli Clinical College of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouZhejiangChina
- Department of Surgical OncologyWenzhou Central HospitalWenzhouZhejiangChina
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shanghai UniversityWenzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Ruiqiu Zhu
- Interventional Cancer Institute of Chinese Integrative MedicinePutuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Die Yu
- Interventional Cancer Institute of Chinese Integrative MedicinePutuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Juan Wang
- School of MedicineShanghai UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Yuxiang Yan
- The Dingli Clinical College of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouZhejiangChina
- Department of Surgical OncologyWenzhou Central HospitalWenzhouZhejiangChina
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shanghai UniversityWenzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Ke Xu
- Institute of Translational MedicineShanghai UniversityShanghaiChina
- Organoid Research CenterShanghai UniversityShanghaiChina
- Wenzhou Institute of Shanghai UniversityWenzhouChina
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31
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Wehrli M, Guinn S, Birocchi F, Kuo A, Sun Y, Larson RC, Almazan AJ, Scarfò I, Bouffard AA, Bailey SR, Anekal PV, Llopis PM, Nieman LT, Song Y, Xu KH, Berger TR, Kann MC, Leick MB, Silva H, Salas-Benito D, Kienka T, Grauwet K, Armstrong TD, Zhang R, Zhu Q, Fu J, Schmidts A, Korell F, Jan M, Choi BD, Liss AS, Boland GM, Ting DT, Burkhart RA, Jenkins RW, Zheng L, Jaffee EM, Zimmerman JW, Maus MV. Mesothelin CAR T Cells Secreting Anti-FAP/Anti-CD3 Molecules Efficiently Target Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma and its Stroma. Clin Cancer Res 2024; 30:1859-1877. [PMID: 38393682 PMCID: PMC11062832 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-3841] [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: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Targeting solid tumors with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells remains challenging due to heterogenous target antigen expression, antigen escape, and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Pancreatic cancer is characterized by a thick stroma generated by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF), which may contribute to the limited efficacy of mesothelin-directed CAR T cells in early-phase clinical trials. To provide a more favorable TME for CAR T cells to target pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), we generated T cells with an antimesothelin CAR and a secreted T-cell-engaging molecule (TEAM) that targets CAF through fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and engages T cells through CD3 (termed mesoFAP CAR-TEAM cells). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Using a suite of in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo patient-derived models containing cancer cells and CAF, we examined the ability of mesoFAP CAR-TEAM cells to target PDAC cells and CAF within the TME. We developed and used patient-derived ex vivo models, including patient-derived organoids with patient-matched CAF and patient-derived organotypic tumor spheroids. RESULTS We demonstrated specific and significant binding of the TEAM to its respective antigens (CD3 and FAP) when released from mesothelin-targeting CAR T cells, leading to T-cell activation and cytotoxicity of the target cell. MesoFAP CAR-TEAM cells were superior in eliminating PDAC and CAF compared with T cells engineered to target either antigen alone in our ex vivo patient-derived models and in mouse models of PDAC with primary or metastatic liver tumors. CONCLUSIONS CAR-TEAM cells enable modification of tumor stroma, leading to increased elimination of PDAC tumors. This approach represents a promising treatment option for pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Wehrli
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Samantha Guinn
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Filippo Birocchi
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Adam Kuo
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yi Sun
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rebecca C. Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Antonio J. Almazan
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Irene Scarfò
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amanda A. Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stefanie R. Bailey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Linda T. Nieman
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yuhui Song
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Katherine H. Xu
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Trisha R. Berger
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael C. Kann
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mark B. Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Harrison Silva
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Diego Salas-Benito
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tamina Kienka
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Korneel Grauwet
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Todd D. Armstrong
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rui Zhang
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Qingfeng Zhu
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Juan Fu
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrea Schmidts
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Felix Korell
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Max Jan
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bryan D. Choi
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew S. Liss
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Oncologic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Genevieve M. Boland
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - David T. Ting
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Richard A. Burkhart
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Russell W. Jenkins
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lei Zheng
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elizabeth M. Jaffee
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jacquelyn W. Zimmerman
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Marcela V. Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
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32
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George B, Kudryashova O, Kravets A, Thalji S, Malarkannan S, Kurzrock R, Chernyavskaya E, Gusakova M, Kravchenko D, Tychinin D, Savin E, Alekseeva L, Butusova A, Bagaev A, Shin N, Brown JH, Sethi I, Wang D, Taylor B, McFall T, Kamgar M, Hall WA, Erickson B, Christians KK, Evans DB, Tsai S. Transcriptomic-Based Microenvironment Classification Reveals Precision Medicine Strategies for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Gastroenterology 2024; 166:859-871.e3. [PMID: 38280684 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2024.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS The complex tumor microenvironment (TME) of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has hindered the development of reliable predictive biomarkers for targeted therapy and immunomodulatory strategies. A comprehensive characterization of the TME is necessary to advance precision therapeutics in PDAC. METHODS A transcriptomic profiling platform for TME classification based on functional gene signatures was applied to 14 publicly available PDAC datasets (n = 1657) and validated in a clinically annotated independent cohort of patients with PDAC (n = 79). Four distinct subtypes were identified using unsupervised clustering and assessed to evaluate predictive and prognostic utility. RESULTS TME classification using transcriptomic profiling identified 4 biologically distinct subtypes based on their TME immune composition: immune enriched (IE); immune enriched, fibrotic (IE/F); fibrotic (F); and immune depleted (D). The IE and IE/F subtypes demonstrated a more favorable prognosis and potential for response to immunotherapy compared with the F and D subtypes. Most lung metastases and liver metastases were subtypes IE and D, respectively, indicating the role of clonal phenotype and immune milieu in developing personalized therapeutic strategies. In addition, distinct TMEs with potential therapeutic implications were identified in treatment-naive primary tumors compared with tumors that underwent neoadjuvant therapy. CONCLUSIONS This novel approach defines a distinct subgroup of PADC patients that may benefit from immunotherapeutic strategies based on their TME subtype and provides a framework to select patients for prospective clinical trials investigating precision immunotherapy in PDAC. Further, the predictive utility and real-world clinical applicability espoused by this transcriptomic-based TME classification approach will accelerate the advancement of precision medicine in PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben George
- LaBahn Pancreatic Cancer Program, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
| | | | | | - Samih Thalji
- LaBahn Pancreatic Cancer Program, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Subramaniam Malarkannan
- Versiti Blood Research Institute, Department of Medicine, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Razelle Kurzrock
- Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | | | | | | | | | - Egor Savin
- BostonGene Corporation, Waltham, Massachusetts
| | | | | | | | - Nara Shin
- BostonGene Corporation, Waltham, Massachusetts
| | | | - Isha Sethi
- BostonGene Corporation, Waltham, Massachusetts
| | - Dandan Wang
- Versiti Blood Research Institute, Department of Medicine, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Bradley Taylor
- Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Thomas McFall
- LaBahn Pancreatic Cancer Program, Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Mandana Kamgar
- LaBahn Pancreatic Cancer Program, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - William A Hall
- LaBahn Pancreatic Cancer Program, Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Beth Erickson
- LaBahn Pancreatic Cancer Program, Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Kathleen K Christians
- LaBahn Pancreatic Cancer Program, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Douglas B Evans
- LaBahn Pancreatic Cancer Program, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Susan Tsai
- LaBahn Pancreatic Cancer Program, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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33
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Saleh O, Shihadeh H, Yousef A, Erekat H, Abdallh F, Al-Leimon A, Elsalhy R, Altiti A, Dajani M, AlBarakat MM. The Effect of Intratumor Heterogeneity in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Progression and Treatment. Pancreas 2024; 53:e450-e465. [PMID: 38728212 DOI: 10.1097/mpa.0000000000002342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies. Even though many substantial improvements in the survival rates for other major cancer forms were made, pancreatic cancer survival rates have remained relatively unchanged since the 1960s. Even more, no standard classification system for pancreatic cancer is based on cellular biomarkers. This review will discuss and provide updates about the role of stem cells in the progression of PC, the genetic changes associated with it, and the promising biomarkers for diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS The search process used PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases to identify the relevant and related articles. Articles had to be published in English to be considered. RESULTS The increasing number of studies in recent years has revealed that the diversity of cancer-associated fibroblasts is far greater than previously acknowledged, which highlights the need for further research to better understand the various cancer-associated fibroblast subpopulations. Despite the huge diversity in pancreatic cancer, some common features can be noted to be shared among patients. Mutations involving CDKN2, P53, and K-RAS can be seen in a big number of patients, for example. Similarly, some patterns of genes and biomarkers expression and the level of their expression can help in predicting cancer behavior such as metastasis and drug resistance. The current trend in cancer research, especially with the advancement in technology, is to sequence everything in hopes of finding disease-related mutations. CONCLUSION Optimizing pancreatic cancer treatment requires clear classification, understanding CAF roles, and exploring stroma reshaping approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Othman Saleh
- From the Faculty of Medicine, The Hashemite University, Zarqa
| | | | | | - Hana Erekat
- School of medicine, University of Jordan, Amman
| | - Fatima Abdallh
- From the Faculty of Medicine, The Hashemite University, Zarqa
| | | | | | | | - Majd Dajani
- From the Faculty of Medicine, The Hashemite University, Zarqa
| | - Majd M AlBarakat
- Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
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34
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Chen Q, Luo J, Liu J, Yu H, Zhou M, Yu L, Chen Y, Zhang S, Mo Z. Integrating single-cell and spatial transcriptomics to elucidate the crosstalk between cancer-associated fibroblasts and cancer cells in hepatocellular carcinoma with spleen-deficiency syndrome. J Tradit Complement Med 2024; 14:321-334. [PMID: 38707923 PMCID: PMC11068993 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2023.11.008] [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: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Background and aim Most patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in China have been diagnosed with spleen deficiency syndrome (SDS), which accelerates the progression of HCC by disrupting the tumor microenvironment homeostasis. This study aimed to investigate the intercellular crosstalk in HCC with SDS. Experimental procedure An HCC-SDS mouse model was established using orthotopic HCC transplantation based on reserpine-induced SDS. Single-cell data analysis and cancer cell prediction were conducted using Seurat and CopyKAT package, respectively. Intercellular interactions were explored using CellPhoneDB and CellChat and subsequently validated using co-culture assays, ELISA and histological staining. We performed pathway activity analysis using gene set variation analysis and the Seurat package. The extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling was assessed using a gel contraction assay, atomic force microscopy, and Sirius red staining. The deconvolution of the spatial transcriptomics data using the "CARD" package based on single-cell data. Results and conclusion We successfully established the HCC-SDS mouse model. Twenty-nine clusters were identified. The interactions between cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) were significantly enhanced via platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling in HCC-SDS. CAFs recruited in HCC-SDS lead to ECM remodeling and the activation of TGF-β signaling pathway. Deconvolution of the spatial transcriptome data revealed that CAFs physically surround cancer cells in HCC-SDS. This study reveals that the crosstalk of CAFs-cancer cells is crucial for the tumor-promoting effect of SDS. CAFs recruited by HCC via PDGFA may lead to ECM remodeling through activation of the TGF-β pathway, thereby forming a physical barrier to block immune cell infiltration under SDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuxia Chen
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510080, China
| | - Jin Luo
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510080, China
| | - Jiahui Liu
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510080, China
| | - He Yu
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510080, China
| | - Meiling Zhou
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510080, China
| | - Ling Yu
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Second Clinical College to Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510630, China
| | - Shijun Zhang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510080, China
| | - Zhuomao Mo
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 311113, China
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35
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Mathieson L, Koppensteiner L, Dorward DA, O'Connor RA, Akram AR. Cancer-associated fibroblasts expressing fibroblast activation protein and podoplanin in non-small cell lung cancer predict poor clinical outcome. Br J Cancer 2024; 130:1758-1769. [PMID: 38582812 PMCID: PMC11130154 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-024-02671-1] [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] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a dominant cell type in the stroma of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Fibroblast heterogeneity reflects subpopulations of CAFs, which can influence prognosis and treatment efficacy. We describe the subtypes of CAFs in NSCLC. METHODS Primary human NSCLC resections were assessed by flow cytometry and multiplex immunofluorescence for markers of fibroblast activation which allowed identification of CAF subsets. Survival data were analysed for our NSCLC cohort consisting of 163 patients to understand prognostic significance of CAF subsets. RESULTS We identified five CAF populations, termed CAF S1-S5. CAF-S5 represents a previously undescribed population, and express FAP and PDPN but lack the myofibroblast marker αSMA, whereas CAF-S1 populations express all three. CAF-S5 are spatially further from tumour regions then CAF-S1 and scRNA data demonstrate an inflammatory phenotype. The presence of CAF-S1 or CAF-S5 is correlated to worse survival outcome in NSCLC, despite curative resection, highlighting the prognostic importance of CAF subtypes in NSCLC. TCGA data suggest the predominance of CAF-S5 has a poor prognosis across several cancer types. CONCLUSION This study describes the fibroblast heterogeneity in NSCLC and the prognostic importance of the novel CAF-S5 subset where its presence correlates to worse survival outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Layla Mathieson
- Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute of Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Dr, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK
- Translational Healthcare Technologies Group, Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute of Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Dr, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Lilian Koppensteiner
- Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute of Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Dr, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK
- Translational Healthcare Technologies Group, Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute of Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Dr, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK
| | - David A Dorward
- Department of Pathology, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Richard A O'Connor
- Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute of Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Dr, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK
- Translational Healthcare Technologies Group, Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute of Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Dr, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Ahsan R Akram
- Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute of Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Dr, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK.
- Translational Healthcare Technologies Group, Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute of Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Dr, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK.
- Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre, Institute of Genetics & Cancer, The University of Edinburgh, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh, EH4 2XR, UK.
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36
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Ho NCW, Yap JYY, Zhao Z, Wang Y, Fernando K, Li CH, Kwang XL, Quah HS, Arcinas C, Iyer NG, Fong ELS. Bioengineered Hydrogels Recapitulate Fibroblast Heterogeneity in Cancer. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2307129. [PMID: 38493497 PMCID: PMC11132030 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202307129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Recently mapped transcriptomic landscapes reveal the extent of heterogeneity in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) beyond previously established single-gene markers. Functional analyses of individual CAF subsets within the tumor microenvironment are critical to develop more accurate CAF-targeting therapeutic strategies. However, there is a lack of robust preclinical models that reflect this heterogeneity in vitro. In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing datasets acquired from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tissues to predict microenvironmental and cellular features governing individual CAF subsets are leveraged. Some of these features are then incorporated into a tunable hyaluronan-based hydrogel system to culture patient-derived CAFs. Control over hydrogel degradability and integrin adhesiveness enabled derivation of the predominant myofibroblastic and inflammatory CAF subsets, as shown through changes in cell morphology and transcriptomic profiles. Last, using these hydrogel-cultured CAFs, microtubule dynamics are identified, but not actomyosin contractility, as a key mediator of CAF plasticity. The recapitulation of CAF heterogeneity in vitro using defined hydrogels presents unique opportunities for advancing the understanding of CAF biology and evaluation of CAF-targeting therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Ching Wei Ho
- Translational Tumor Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biomedical EngineeringNational University of SingaporeSingapore119276Singapore
| | - Josephine Yu Yan Yap
- Translational Tumor Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biomedical EngineeringNational University of SingaporeSingapore119276Singapore
| | - Zixuan Zhao
- The N.1 Institute for HealthNational University of SingaporeSingapore117456Singapore
| | - Yunyun Wang
- Translational Tumor Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biomedical EngineeringNational University of SingaporeSingapore119276Singapore
| | - Kanishka Fernando
- Translational Tumor Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biomedical EngineeringNational University of SingaporeSingapore119276Singapore
| | - Constance H Li
- Cancer Therapeutics Research LaboratoryNational Cancer Centre SingaporeSingapore168583Singapore
- Duke‐NUS Medical SchoolNational University of SingaporeSingapore169857Singapore
| | - Xue Lin Kwang
- Cancer Therapeutics Research LaboratoryNational Cancer Centre SingaporeSingapore168583Singapore
| | - Hong Sheng Quah
- Cancer Therapeutics Research LaboratoryNational Cancer Centre SingaporeSingapore168583Singapore
- Duke‐NUS Medical SchoolNational University of SingaporeSingapore169857Singapore
| | - Camille Arcinas
- Duke‐NUS Medical SchoolNational University of SingaporeSingapore169857Singapore
| | - N. Gopalakrishna Iyer
- Cancer Therapeutics Research LaboratoryNational Cancer Centre SingaporeSingapore168583Singapore
- Duke‐NUS Medical SchoolNational University of SingaporeSingapore169857Singapore
| | - Eliza Li Shan Fong
- Translational Tumor Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biomedical EngineeringNational University of SingaporeSingapore119276Singapore
- The N.1 Institute for HealthNational University of SingaporeSingapore117456Singapore
- Cancer Science InstituteNational University of SingaporeSingapore117599Singapore
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37
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Sun W, Xie S, Liu SF, Hu X, Xing D. Evolving Tumor Characteristics and Smart Nanodrugs for Tumor Immunotherapy. Int J Nanomedicine 2024; 19:3919-3942. [PMID: 38708176 PMCID: PMC11070166 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s453265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Typical physiological characteristics of tumors, such as weak acidity, low oxygen content, and upregulation of certain enzymes in the tumor microenvironment (TME), provide survival advantages when exposed to targeted attacks by drugs and responsive nanomedicines. Consequently, cancer treatment has significantly progressed in recent years. However, the evolution and adaptation of tumor characteristics still pose many challenges for current treatment methods. Therefore, efficient and precise cancer treatments require an understanding of the heterogeneity degree of various factors in cancer cells during tumor evolution to exploit the typical TME characteristics and manage the mutation process. The highly heterogeneous tumor and infiltrating stromal cells, immune cells, and extracellular components collectively form a unique TME, which plays a crucial role in tumor malignancy, including proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and immune escape. Therefore, the development of new treatment methods that can adapt to the evolutionary characteristics of tumors has become an intense focus in current cancer treatment research. This paper explores the latest understanding of cancer evolution, focusing on how tumors use new antigens to shape their "new faces"; how immune system cells, such as cytotoxic T cells, regulatory T cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells, help tumors become "invisible", that is, immune escape; whether the diverse cancer-associated fibroblasts provide support and coordination for tumors; and whether it is possible to attack tumors in reverse. This paper discusses the limitations of targeted therapy driven by tumor evolution factors and explores future strategies and the potential of intelligent nanomedicines, including the systematic coordination of tumor evolution factors and adaptive methods, to meet this therapeutic challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenshe Sun
- The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, People’s Republic of China
- Qingdao Cancer Institute, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, People’s Republic of China
- Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shaowei Xie
- Department of Ultrasound, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200127, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shi Feng Liu
- The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaokun Hu
- The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, People’s Republic of China
| | - Dongming Xing
- The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, People’s Republic of China
- Qingdao Cancer Institute, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, People’s Republic of China
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Kou Z, Liu C, Zhang W, Sun C, Liu L, Zhang Q. Heterogeneity of primary and metastatic CAFs: From differential treatment outcomes to treatment opportunities (Review). Int J Oncol 2024; 64:54. [PMID: 38577950 PMCID: PMC11015919 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2024.5642] [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: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Compared with primary tumor sites, metastatic sites appear more resistant to treatments and respond differently to the treatment regimen. It may be due to the heterogeneity in the microenvironment between metastatic sites and primary tumors. Cancer‑associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are widely present in the tumor stroma as key components of the tumor microenvironment. Primary tumor CAFs (pCAFs) and metastatic CAFs (mCAFs) are heterogeneous in terms of source, activation mode, markers and functional phenotypes. They can shape the tumor microenvironment according to organ, showing heterogeneity between primary tumors and metastases, which may affect the sensitivity of these sites to treatment. It was hypothesized that understanding the heterogeneity between pCAFs and mCAFs can provide a glimpse into the difference in treatment outcomes, providing new ideas for improving the rate of metastasis control in various cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixing Kou
- College of First Clinical Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250355, P.R. China
| | - Cun Liu
- College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, Shandong 261053, P.R. China
| | - Wenfeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa Island 999078, Macau SAR, P.R. China
| | - Changgang Sun
- College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, Shandong 261053, P.R. China
- Department of Oncology, Weifang Traditional Chinese Hospital, Weifang, Shandong 621000, P.R. China
| | - Lijuan Liu
- Department of Oncology, Weifang Traditional Chinese Hospital, Weifang, Shandong 621000, P.R. China
| | - Qiming Zhang
- College of First Clinical Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250355, P.R. China
- Department of Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100007, P.R. China
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Lee DU, Han BS, Jung KH, Hong SS. Tumor Stroma as a Therapeutic Target for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Biomol Ther (Seoul) 2024; 32:281-290. [PMID: 38590092 PMCID: PMC11063484 DOI: 10.4062/biomolther.2024.029] [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: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a poor prognosis owing to its desmoplastic stroma. Therefore, therapeutic strategies targeting this tumor stroma should be developed. In this study, we describe the heterogeneity of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and their diverse roles in the progression, immune evasion, and resistance to treatment of PDAC. We subclassified the spatial distribution and functional activity of CAFs to highlight their effects on prognosis and drug delivery. Extracellular matrix components such as collagen and hyaluronan are described for their roles in tumor behavior and treatment outcomes, implying their potential as therapeutic targets. We also discussed the roles of extracellular matrix (ECM) including matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors in PDAC progression. Finally, we explored the role of the adaptive and innate immune systems in shaping the PDAC microenvironment and potential therapeutic strategies, with a focus on immune cell subsets, cytokines, and immunosuppressive mechanisms. These insights provide a comprehensive understanding of PDAC and pave the way for the development of prognostic markers and therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dae Ui Lee
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea
| | - Beom Seok Han
- Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, The Graduate School, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Hee Jung
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea
| | - Soon-Sun Hong
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea
- Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, The Graduate School, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
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40
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Zhang H, Chen J, Bai J, Zhang J, Huang S, Zeng L, Zhou P, Shen Q, Yin T. Single dual-specific anti-PD-L1/TGF-β antibody synergizes with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: a preclinical experimental study. Int J Surg 2024; 110:2679-2691. [PMID: 38489548 DOI: 10.1097/js9.0000000000001226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
AIMS Chemotherapy resistance is an important cause of neoadjuvant therapy failure in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). BiTP (anti-PD-L1/TGF-β bispecific antibody) is a single antibody that can simultaneously and dually target transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1). We attempted in this study to investigate the efficacy of BiTP in combination with first-line chemotherapy in PDAC. METHODS Preclinical assessments of BiTP plus gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel were completed through a resectable KPC mouse model (C57BL/6J). Spectral flow cytometry, tissue section staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, Counting Kit-8, transwell, and Western blot assays were used to investigate the synergistic effects. RESULTS BiTP combinatorial chemotherapy in neoadjuvant settings significantly downstaged PDAC tumors, enhanced survival, and had a higher resectability for mice with PDAC. BiTP was high affinity binding to targets and reverse chemotherapy resistance of PDAC cells. The combination overcame immune evasion through reprogramming tumor microenvironment via increasing penetration and function of T cells, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells and decreasing the function of immunosuppression-related cells as regulatory T cells, M2 macrophages, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and cancer-associated fibroblasts. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that the BiTP combinatorial chemotherapy is a promising neoadjuvant therapy for PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoxiang Zhang
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou
- Sino-German Laboratory of Personalized Medicine for Pancreatic Cancer, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan
| | - Jiaoshun Chen
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan
- Sino-German Laboratory of Personalized Medicine for Pancreatic Cancer, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan
| | - Jianwei Bai
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan
- Sino-German Laboratory of Personalized Medicine for Pancreatic Cancer, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan
| | - Jing Zhang
- Wuhan YZY Biopharma Co., Ltd, Biolake, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Shaoyi Huang
- Wuhan YZY Biopharma Co., Ltd, Biolake, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Liang Zeng
- Wuhan YZY Biopharma Co., Ltd, Biolake, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Pengfei Zhou
- Wuhan YZY Biopharma Co., Ltd, Biolake, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang Shen
- Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Tao Yin
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan
- Sino-German Laboratory of Personalized Medicine for Pancreatic Cancer, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan
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Rodriguez E, Zwart ES, Affandi AA, Verhoeff J, de Kok M, Boyd LNC, Meijer LL, Le Large TYS, Olesek K, Giovannetti E, García-Vallejo JJ, Mebius RE, van Kooyk Y, Kazemier G. In-depth immune profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma reveals discriminative immune subpopulations. Cancer Sci 2024. [PMID: 38686549 DOI: 10.1111/cas.16147] [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: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a dismal prognosis with a 5-year survival of less than 10%. More knowledge of the immune response developed in patients with PDAC is pivotal to develop better combination immune therapies to improve clinical outcome. In this study, we used mass cytometry time-of-flight to undertake an in-depth characterization of PBMCs from patients with PDAC and examine the differences with healthy controls and patients with benign diseases of the biliary system or pancreas. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with PDAC or benign disease are characterized by the increase of pro-inflammatory cells, as CD86+ classical monocytes and memory T cells expressing CCR6+ and CXCR3+, associated with T helper 1 (Th1) and Th17 immune responses, respectively. However, PBMCs from patients with PDAC present also an increase of CD39+ regulatory T cells and CCR4+CCR6-CXCR3- memory T cells, suggesting Th2 and regulatory responses. Concluding, our results show PDAC develops a multifaceted immunity, where a proinflammatory component is accompanied by regulatory responses, which could inhibit potential antitumor mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto Rodriguez
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Cancer Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Eline S Zwart
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Cancer Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alsya A Affandi
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Cancer Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Verhoeff
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Cancer Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mike de Kok
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lenka N C Boyd
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Laura L Meijer
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tessa Y S Le Large
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Katarzyna Olesek
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Cancer Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Elisa Giovannetti
- Department of Medical Oncology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Cancer Pharmacology Lab, AIRC Start-Up Unit, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, Pisa, Italy
| | - Juan J García-Vallejo
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Cancer Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Reina E Mebius
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Cancer Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Yvette van Kooyk
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Cancer Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Geert Kazemier
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Zhang T, He Z, Qi X, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Jin L, Wang T. 5-Fluorouracil resistant CRC cells derived exosomes promote cancer-associated fibroblasts secreting more CXCL12. J Cancer 2024; 15:3441-3451. [PMID: 38817851 PMCID: PMC11134431 DOI: 10.7150/jca.95248] [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: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Chemoresistance is a key reason for treatment failure in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. The tumor microenvironment of chemoresistant CRC is distinctly immunosuppressive, although the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Methods: The CRC data sets GSE69657 and GSE62080 were downloaded from the GEO database, and the correlation between TRPC5 and FAP expression was analyzed by Pearson method. The in-situ expression of transient receptor potential channel 5 (TRPC5) and fibroblast activation protein (FAP) in the CRC tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry. TRPC5 expression levels in the HCT8 and HCT116 cell lines and the corresponding 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-resistant cell lines (HCT8R and HCT116R) were analyzed by western blotting and RT-PCR. Exosomes were isolated from the HCT8R and HCT116R cells and incubated with colorectal normal fibroblasts (NFs), and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs)markers were detected. NFs were also incubated with exosomes isolated from TRPC5-knockdown HCT8R cells, and the changes in intracellular Ca2+ levels and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) secretion were analyzed. Results: TRPC5 and FAP expression showed positive correlation in the datasets. Immunostaining of CRC tissue specimens further revealed that high TRPC5 and FAP expressions were significantly associated with worse tumor regression. Furthermore, chemoresistant CRC cells expressed higher levels of TRPC5 compared to the chemosensitive cells, and knocking down TRPC5 reversed chemoresistance. Exosomes derived from CRC cells induced the transformation of NFs to CAFs. However, TRPC5-exosomes derived from chemoresistant CRC cells can promote CAFs to secrete more CXCL12. Conclusion: Chemoresistant CRC cells can induce CAFs activation and promote CXCL12 secretion through exosomal TRPC5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongxin Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China
- Wuxi Medical College, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zilong He
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China
- Wuxi Medical College, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiaowei Qi
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China
- Wuxi Medical College, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yankui Liu
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China
| | - Linfang Jin
- Department of Pathology, Wuxi No. 9 People's Hospital, Wuxi 214062, Jiangsu, China
| | - Teng Wang
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China
- Wuxi Medical College, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China
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Ye Z, Li Q, Hu Y, Hu H, Xu J, Guo M, Zhang W, Lou X, Wang Y, Gao H, Jing D, Fan G, Qin Y, Zhang Y, Chen X, Chen J, Xu X, Yu X, Liu M, Ji S. The stromal microenvironment endows pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors with spatially specific invasive and metastatic phenotypes. Cancer Lett 2024; 588:216769. [PMID: 38438098 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216769] [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: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play an important role in a variety of cancers. However, the role of tumor stroma in nonfunctional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NF-PanNETs) is often neglected. Profiling the heterogeneity of CAFs can reveal the causes of malignant phenotypes in NF-PanNETs. Here, we found that patients with high stromal proportion had poor prognosis, especially for that with infiltrating stroma (stroma and tumor cells that presented an infiltrative growth pattern and no regular boundary). In addition, myofibroblastic CAFs (myCAFs), characterized by FAP+ and α-SMAhigh, were spatially closer to tumor cells and promoted the EMT and tumor growth. Intriguingly, only tumor cells which were spatially closer to myCAFs underwent EMT. We further elucidated that myCAFs stimulate TGF-β expression in nearby tumor cells. Then, TGF-β promoted the EMT in adjacent tumor cells and promoted the expression of myCAFs marker genes in tumor cells, resulting in distant metastasis. Our results indicate that myCAFs cause spatial heterogeneity of EMT, which accounts for liver metastasis of NF-PanNETs. The findings of this study might provide possible targets for the prevention of liver metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeng Ye
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, 200032, China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Qiang Li
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Marchioninistr.15, 81377, Munich, Germany
| | - Yuheng Hu
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, 200032, China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Haifeng Hu
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, 200032, China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Junfeng Xu
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, 200032, China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Muzi Guo
- Department of Medicine, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Wuhu Zhang
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, 200032, China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xin Lou
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, 200032, China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, 200032, China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Heli Gao
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, 200032, China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Desheng Jing
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, 200032, China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Guixiong Fan
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, 200032, China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yi Qin
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, 200032, China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, 213003, China
| | - Xuemin Chen
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, 213003, China
| | - Jie Chen
- Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xiaowu Xu
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, 200032, China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Xianjun Yu
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, 200032, China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Mingyang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
| | - Shunrong Ji
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Center for Neuroendocrine Tumors, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, 200032, China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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Raymant M, Astuti Y, Alvaro-Espinosa L, Green D, Quaranta V, Bellomo G, Glenn M, Chandran-Gorner V, Palmer DH, Halloran C, Ghaneh P, Henderson NC, Morton JP, Valiente M, Mielgo A, Schmid MC. Macrophage-fibroblast JAK/STAT dependent crosstalk promotes liver metastatic outgrowth in pancreatic cancer. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3593. [PMID: 38678021 PMCID: PMC11055860 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47949-3] [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] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly metastatic disease for which better therapies are urgently needed. Fibroblasts and macrophages are heterogeneous cell populations able to enhance metastasis, but the role of a macrophage-fibroblast crosstalk in regulating their pro-metastatic functions remains poorly understood. Here we deconvolve how macrophages regulate metastasis-associated fibroblast (MAF) heterogeneity in the liver. We identify three functionally distinct MAF populations, among which the generation of pro-metastatic and immunoregulatory myofibroblastic-MAFs (myMAFs) critically depends on macrophages. Mechanistically, myMAFs are induced through a STAT3-dependent mechanism driven by macrophage-derived progranulin and cancer cell-secreted leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF). In a reciprocal manner, myMAF secreted osteopontin promotes an immunosuppressive macrophage phenotype resulting in the inhibition of cytotoxic T cell functions. Pharmacological blockade of STAT3 or myMAF-specific genetic depletion of STAT3 restores an anti-tumour immune response and reduces metastases. Our findings provide molecular insights into the complex macrophage-fibroblast interactions in tumours and reveal potential targets to inhibit PDAC liver metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meirion Raymant
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Yuliana Astuti
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Laura Alvaro-Espinosa
- Brain Metastasis Group, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Green
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Valeria Quaranta
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Gaia Bellomo
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Mark Glenn
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Vatshala Chandran-Gorner
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Daniel H Palmer
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Christopher Halloran
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Paula Ghaneh
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Neil C Henderson
- Centre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jennifer P Morton
- Cancer Research-UK Scotland Institute and School of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Switchback Road, Glasgow, G61 1BD, UK
| | - Manuel Valiente
- Brain Metastasis Group, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ainhoa Mielgo
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Michael C Schmid
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK.
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Lupo F, Pezzini F, Pasini D, Fiorini E, Adamo A, Veghini L, Bevere M, Frusteri C, Delfino P, D'agosto S, Andreani S, Piro G, Malinova A, Wang T, De Sanctis F, Lawlor RT, Hwang CI, Carbone C, Amelio I, Bailey P, Bronte V, Tuveson D, Scarpa A, Ugel S, Corbo V. Axon guidance cue SEMA3A promotes the aggressive phenotype of basal-like PDAC. Gut 2024:gutjnl-2023-329807. [PMID: 38670629 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2023-329807] [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: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The dysregulation of the axon guidance pathway is common in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), yet our understanding of its biological relevance is limited. Here, we investigated the functional role of the axon guidance cue SEMA3A in supporting PDAC progression. DESIGN We integrated bulk and single-cell transcriptomic datasets of human PDAC with in situ hybridisation analyses of patients' tissues to evaluate SEMA3A expression in molecular subtypes of PDAC. Gain and loss of function experiments in PDAC cell lines and organoids were performed to dissect how SEMA3A contributes to define a biologically aggressive phenotype. RESULTS In PDAC tissues, SEMA3A is expressed by stromal elements and selectively enriched in basal-like/squamous epithelial cells. Accordingly, expression of SEMA3A in PDAC cells is induced by both cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic determinants of the basal-like phenotype. In vitro, SEMA3A promotes cell migration as well as anoikis resistance. At the molecular level, these phenotypes are associated with increased focal adhesion kinase signalling through canonical SEMA3A-NRP1 axis. SEMA3A provides mouse PDAC cells with greater metastatic competence and favours intratumoural infiltration of tumour-associated macrophages and reduced density of T cells. Mechanistically, SEMA3A functions as chemoattractant for macrophages and skews their polarisation towards an M2-like phenotype. In SEMA3Ahigh tumours, depletion of macrophages results in greater intratumour infiltration by CD8+T cells and better control of the disease from antitumour treatment. CONCLUSIONS Here, we show that SEMA3A is a stress-sensitive locus that promotes the malignant phenotype of basal-like PDAC through both cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Lupo
- Department of Engineering for Innovation Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Francesco Pezzini
- Department of Engineering for Innovation Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Davide Pasini
- Department of Engineering for Innovation Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Elena Fiorini
- Department of Engineering for Innovation Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Annalisa Adamo
- Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Lisa Veghini
- Department of Engineering for Innovation Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Michele Bevere
- ARC-Net Research Centre, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Pietro Delfino
- Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCSS San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Sabrina D'agosto
- Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Human Technopole, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Andreani
- ARC-Net Research Centre, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Würzburg, Wurzburg, Germany
| | - Geny Piro
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Antonia Malinova
- Department of Engineering for Innovation Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Tian Wang
- Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | | | - Chang-Il Hwang
- Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UC Davis Department of Microbiology, Davis, California, USA
| | - Carmine Carbone
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Ivano Amelio
- Division of Systems Toxicology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Peter Bailey
- Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - David Tuveson
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA
| | - Aldo Scarpa
- ARC-Net Research Centre, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Stefano Ugel
- Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Corbo
- Department of Engineering for Innovation Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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Elst L, Philips G, Vandermaesen K, Bassez A, Lodi F, Vreeburg MTA, Brouwer OR, Schepers R, Van Brussel T, Mohanty SK, Parwani AV, Spans L, Vanden Bempt I, Jacomen G, Baldewijns M, Lambrechts D, Albersen M. Single-cell Atlas of Penile Cancer Reveals TP53 Mutations as a Driver of an Aggressive Phenotype, Irrespective of Human Papillomavirus Status, and Provides Clues for Treatment Personalization. Eur Urol 2024:S0302-2838(24)02266-8. [PMID: 38670879 DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2024.03.038] [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: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE TP53 loss-of-function (TP53LOF) mutations might be a driver of poor prognosis and chemoresistance in both human papillomavirus (HPV)-independent (HPV-) and HPV-associated (HPV+) penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC). Here, we aim to describe transcriptomic differences in the PSCC microenvironment stratified by TP53LOF and HPV status. METHODS We used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and T-cell receptor sequencing to obtain a comprehensive atlas of the cellular architecture of PSCC. TP53LOF and HPV status were determined by targeted next-generation sequencing and sequencing HPV-DNA reads. Six HPV+ TP53 wild type (WT), six HPV- TP53WT, and four TP53LOF PSCC samples and six controls were included. Immunohistochemistry and hematoxylin-eosin confirmed the morphological context of the observed signatures. Prognostic differences between patient groups were validated in 541 PSCC patients using Kaplan-Meier survival estimates. KEY FINDINGS AND LIMITATIONS Patients with aberrant p53 staining fare much worse than patients with either HPV- or HPV+ tumors and WT p53 expression. Using scRNA-seq, we revealed 65 cell subtypes within 83 682 cells. TP53LOF tumors exhibit a partial epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, immune-excluded, angiogenic, and morphologically invasive environment, underlying their aggressive phenotype. HPV- TP53WT tumors show stemness and immune exhaustion. HPV+ TP53WT tumors mirror normal epithelial maturation with upregulation of antibody-drug-conjugate targets and activation of innate immunity. Inherent to the scRNA-seq analysis, low sample size is a limitation and validation of signatures in large PSCC cohorts is needed. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS This first scRNA-seq atlas offers unprecedented in-depth insights into PSCC biology underlying prognostic differences based on TP53 and HPV status. Our findings provide clues for testing novel biomarker-driven therapies in PSCC. PATIENT SUMMARY Here, we analyzed tissues of penile cancer at the level of individual cells, which helps us understand why patients who harbor a deactivating mutation in the TP53 gene do much worse than patients lacking such a mutation. Such an analysis may help us tailor future therapies based on TP53 gene mutations and human papillomavirus status of these tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Elst
- Center for Cancer Biology, Laboratory of Translational Genetics, VIB-KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Urology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gino Philips
- Center for Cancer Biology, Laboratory of Translational Genetics, VIB-KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kaat Vandermaesen
- Center for Cancer Biology, Laboratory of Translational Genetics, VIB-KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Urology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ayse Bassez
- Center for Cancer Biology, Laboratory of Translational Genetics, VIB-KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Francesca Lodi
- Center for Cancer Biology, Laboratory of Translational Genetics, VIB-KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Manon T A Vreeburg
- Department of Urology, Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Oscar R Brouwer
- Department of Urology, Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rogier Schepers
- Center for Cancer Biology, Laboratory of Translational Genetics, VIB-KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Thomas Van Brussel
- Center for Cancer Biology, Laboratory of Translational Genetics, VIB-KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sambit K Mohanty
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Advanced Medical Research Institute, Bhubaneswar, India; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, CORE Diagnostics, Gurgaon, India
| | - Anil V Parwani
- Department of Pathology, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Lien Spans
- Department of Human Genetics, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Gerd Jacomen
- Laboratory of Pathological Anatomy, AZ Sint-Maarten, Mechelen, Belgium
| | | | - Diether Lambrechts
- Center for Cancer Biology, Laboratory of Translational Genetics, VIB-KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maarten Albersen
- Department of Urology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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Hu J, Xu H, Ma X, Bai M, Zhou Y, Miao R, Wang F, Li X, Cheng B. Modulating PCGF4 Stability Is an Efficient Metastasis-Regulatory Strategy Used by Distinct Subtypes of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2024:S0002-9440(24)00160-3. [PMID: 38670529 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2024.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a highly malignant neoplasm and prone to metastasis. It is unclear if cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) affect the metastasis of ICC. Here, we have established ICC patient-derived CAF lines and related cancerous cell lines and analyzed the effects of CAFs on the tumor progressive properties of the ICC cancerous cells. Results demonstrated that CAFs can be classified into cancer-restraining or cancer-promoting categories based on distinct tumorigenic effects. The RNA-sequencing analyses of ICC cancerous cell lines identified B-lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1 (PCGF4; alias BMI1) as a potential metastasis regulator. Strikingly, the changes of PCGF4 levels in ICC cells perfectly mirrored the restraining or promoting effects of CAFs on ICC migration. Our immunohistochemical analyses on the ICC tissue microarrays indicated that PCGF4 was negatively correlated to overall survival of ICC. We confirmed the promoting effects of PCGF4 on cell migration, drug resistance activity, and stemness properties. Mechanistically, cancer-restraining CAFs triggered the proteasome-dependent degradation of PCGF4, whereas cancer-promoting CAFs enhanced the stability of PCGF4 via activating the IL-6/phosphorylated STAT3 pathway. In summary, our data identified roles of CAFs on ICC metastasis and revealed a new mechanism of the CAFs on ICC progression in which PCGF4 acted as the key effector by both categories of CAFs. These findings shed light on developing comprehensive therapeutic strategies for ICC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinjing Hu
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory Biotherapy and Regenerative Medicine of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hao Xu
- The Fourth Department of General Surgery, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; The First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaojun Ma
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Mingzhen Bai
- The First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yongqiang Zhou
- The First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Ruidong Miao
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Fanghong Wang
- The Fourth Department of General Surgery, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; The First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xun Li
- The First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; Department of General Surgery, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
| | - Bo Cheng
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
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Numakura S, Kato M, Uozaki H. Discovery of YS-1 as a cell line of gastric inflammatory cancer-associated fibroblasts. Mol Biol Rep 2024; 51:542. [PMID: 38642200 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-024-09442-4] [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] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inflammatory cancer-associated fibroblasts (iCAFs) was first identified by co-culture of pancreatic stellate cells and tumor organoids. The key feature of iCAFs is IL-6high/αSMAlow. We examine this phenomenon in gastric cancer using two cell lines of gastric fibroblasts (HGF and YS-1). METHODS AND RESULTS HGF or YS-1 were co-cultured with MKN7 (a gastric adenocarcinoma cell line) in Matrigel. IL-6 protein levels in the culture supernatant were measured by ELISA. The increased production of IL-6 was not observed in any of the combinations. Instead, the supernatant of YS-1 exhibited the higher levels of IL-6. YS-1 showed IL-6high/αSMA (ACTA2)low in real-time PCR, mRNA-seq and immunohistochemistry. In mRNA-seq, iCAFs-associated genes and signaling pathways were up-regulated in YS-1. No transition to myofibroblastic phenotype was observed by monolayer culture, or the exposure to sonic hedgehog (SHH) or TGF-β. YS-1 conditioned medium induced changes of morphology and stem-ness/differentiation in NUGC-3 (a human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line) and UBE6T-15 (a human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell line). CONCLUSIONS YS-1 is a stable cell line of gastric iCAFs. This discovery will promote further research on iCAFs for many researchers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoe Numakura
- Department of Pathology, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8605, Japan.
| | - Masahiro Kato
- Department of Pathology, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8605, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Uozaki
- Department of Pathology, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8605, Japan
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Qiu D, Xu S, Ji K, Tang C. Myeloid Cell-Derived IL-1 Signaling Damps Neuregulin-1 from Fibroblasts to Suppress Colitis-Induced Early Repair of the Intestinal Epithelium. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4469. [PMID: 38674054 PMCID: PMC11050633 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084469] [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] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuregulin-1 (Nrg1, gene symbol: Nrg1), a ligand of the ErbB receptor family, promotes intestinal epithelial cell proliferation and repair. However, the dynamics and accurate derivation of Nrg1 expression during colitis remain unclear. By analyzing the public single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets and employing a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model, we investigated the cell source of Nrg1 expression and its potential regulator in the process of epithelial healing. Nrg1 was majorly expressed in stem-like fibroblasts arising early in mouse colon after DSS administration, and Nrg1-Erbb3 signaling was identified as a potential mediator of interaction between stem-like fibroblasts and colonic epithelial cells. During the ongoing colitis phase, a significant infiltration of macrophages and neutrophils secreting IL-1β emerged, accompanied by the rise in stem-like fibroblasts that co-expressed Nrg1 and IL-1 receptor 1. By stimulating intestinal or lung fibroblasts with IL-1β in the context of inflammation, we observed a downregulation of Nrg1 expression. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease also exhibited an increase in NRG1+IL1R1+ fibroblasts and an interaction of NRG1-ERBB between IL1R1+ fibroblasts and colonic epithelial cells. This study reveals a novel potential mechanism for mucosal healing after inflammation-induced epithelial injury, in which inflammatory myeloid cell-derived IL-1β suppresses the early regeneration of intestinal tissue by interfering with the secretion of reparative neuregulin-1 by stem-like fibroblasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ding Qiu
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No.58, Zhong Shan Er Lu, Guangzhou 510080, China;
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; (S.X.); (K.J.)
| | - Shaoting Xu
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; (S.X.); (K.J.)
| | - Kaile Ji
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; (S.X.); (K.J.)
| | - Ce Tang
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No.58, Zhong Shan Er Lu, Guangzhou 510080, China;
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; (S.X.); (K.J.)
- Animal Experiment Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
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50
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Gou Z, Li J, Liu J, Yang N. The hidden messengers: cancer associated fibroblasts-derived exosomal miRNAs as key regulators of cancer malignancy. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1378302. [PMID: 38694824 PMCID: PMC11061421 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1378302] [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: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a class of stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), play a key role in controlling cancer cell invasion and metastasis, immune evasion, angiogenesis, and resistance to chemotherapy. CAFs mediate their activities by secreting soluble chemicals, releasing exosomes, and altering the extracellular matrix (ECM). Exosomes contain various biomolecules, such as nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins. microRNA (miRNA), a 22-26 nucleotide non-coding RNA, can regulate the cellular transcription processes. Studies have shown that miRNA-loaded exosomes secreted by CAFs engage in various regulatory communication networks with other TME constituents. This study focused on the roles of CAF-derived exosomal miRNAs in generating cancer malignant characteristics, including immune modulation, tumor growth, migration and invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and treatment resistance. This study thoroughly examines miRNA's dual regulatory roles in promoting and suppressing cancer. Thus, changes in the CAF-derived exosomal miRNAs can be used as biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of patients, and their specificity can be used to develop newer therapies. This review also discusses the pressing problems that require immediate attention, aiming to inspire researchers to explore more novel avenues in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixuan Gou
- Bethune First Clinical School of Medicine, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Jiannan Li
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Jianming Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Na Yang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
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