IL-27 gene therapy induces depletion of Tregs and enhances the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy

Novel oncolytic vaccinia virus armed with interleukin-27 is a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of murine pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic cancer has a complex immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), which is highly resistant to conventional therapies and emerging cancer immunotherapies. Oncolytic viruses are multifaceted killers of malignant tumors, which can selectively infect, replicate in and lyse tumor cells, release tumor-associated antigens to stimulate specific antitumor immune responses, and recruit immune cells into the TME, turning "cold" tumors "hot". Here, we report a novel vaccinia virus (VV), VVLΔTKΔN1LΔA41L (with deletion of thymidine kinase (TK), N1L, and A41L genes) armed with interleukin 27 (IL-27), that can cure established tumors and promote long-term antitumor immunity in murine pancreatic cancer tumor models.

METHODS

A novel oncolytic VV with deletion of the TK, N1L, and A41L genes, and expression of the red fluorescent protein (RFP) gene (VVL-TD-RFP) was constructed using CRISPR-Cas9-based homologous recombination. This virus was armed with IL-27, creating VVL-TD-IL-27. The characteristics of these viruses were evaluated in vitro using viral replication assays, cytotoxicity assays and ELISA. The antitumor effects of VVL-TD-IL-27 were evaluated using a variety of pancreatic cancer tumor models in vivo, and the mechanisms of antitumor effects were explored using flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, ELISA and quantitative PCR.

RESULTS

VVL-TD-RFP cured 71.4% of tumor-bearing mice, compared with 14.3% of animals treated with VVLΔTKΔN1L that does not have an A41L gene deletion. Efficacy was mainly dependent on elevated dendritic cell (DC) populations, activation of DC, CD86+ DC, and CD8+ effector memory T cells in the TME. Efficacy was further enhanced by arming VVL-TD-RFP with IL-27, which resulted in a cure rate of 100% and promoted long-term antitumor immunity. VVL-TD-IL-27 treatment increased the proportion of CD8+ TEM and decreased the proportion of regulatory T cells and macrophages in tumor tissues. It also polarized macrophages to an M1 phenotype in vivo. Furthermore, IL-27 exhibits strong anti-angiogenic effects.

CONCLUSIONS

VVL-TD-mIL-27 is a potential immunotherapy agent for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, and a clinical study of this virus is warranted.

IL-27 elicits a cytotoxic CD8+ T cell program to enforce tumour control

Although cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocytes (CTLs) are essential for anti-tumour immunity, they are frequently dysfunctional in tumours1. Cytokines that sustain CTL activity are attractive for cancer immunotherapy, but avoiding inflammatory toxicity remains a challenge for their clinical use2. Here we show that expression of a CTL signature is strongly associated with IL27 expression in human and mouse tumours. In mice, IL-27 acts directly on tumour-specific CTLs to promote their persistence and effector function in the tumour microenvironment. Moreover, treatment with inducible IL-27 overexpression or a half-life-extended IL-27 protein in vivo is well tolerated, induces regression of established tumours, drives an enhanced cytotoxic program in anti-tumour CTLs and synergizes with PD-L1 blockade. In patients with cancer who were treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy, high expression of IL-27 correlates with a favourable clinical response, and IL-27 supports human CTL function during chronic antigen stimulation ex vivo. Our data demonstrate that endogenous IL-27 is essential for anti-tumour immunity and that IL-27 receptor agonism can safely improve anti-tumour T cell responses alone or in combination with PD-L1 blockade.

Interleukins 30 and 27 in psoriasis and inflammation

This review explores the roles of interleukin-30 (IL-30) and interleukin-27 (IL-27) in inflammation and autoimmune diseases, with a focus on psoriasis. The two coexisting cytokines should be analysed in conjunction as their actions are antagonistic in vivo. While IL-27 exhibits diverse anti-inflammatory mechanisms, the understanding of IL-30's functions remains limited. Studies suggest that IL-27 may play a role in regulating psoriasis, but findings are inconsistent. IL-30 shows promise in mitigating psoriatic lesions and suppressing inflammatory responses. However, research on IL-30's involvement in autoimmune diseases presents conflicting results. This article provides a literature review on the complex correlations between cytokines, their role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, inflammation, carcinogenesis, and autoimmune diseases, and provides a detailed picture of the interplay between IL-27 and IL-30 to uncover novel therapeutic targets for psoriasis and other autoimmune conditions.

Harnessing IL-27: challenges and potential in cancer immunotherapy

IL-27 is structurally an immune-enhancing and pleiotropic two-chain cytokine associated with IL-12 and IL-6 families. IL-27 contains two subunits, namely IL-27p28 and EBI3. A heterodimer receptor of IL-27, composed of IL27Rα (WSX1) and IL6ST (gp130) chains, mediates the IL-27 function following the activation of STAT1 and STAT3 signaling pathways. Specifically, IL-27 is identified as augmenting cytokine of immune responses, including Th1 cell differentiation, TCd4 + cell proliferation, and IFN-γ production with the help of IL-12. According to several published studies, due to the pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory functions of cytokine related to the biological context in various disorders and diseases, IL-27 has been considered a complex regulator of the immune system. Surprisingly, the dual role of IL-27, the same as the double-edged sword, has also been evidenced in clinical models of various hematological or solid tumors. Predominantly, Il-27 applies anti-tumor functions by inducing the responses of a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) and Th1 and suppressing the growth, proliferation, angiogenesis, invasiveness, metastasis, and survival of tumor cells. On the other hand, IL-27 may also play a protumor role in cancers and induce tumor progression. The current update study aimed to summarize the protumor anti-tumor and biological functions of IL-27 in different hematological malignancies and solid tumors.

Interleukin-27 Promotes the Generation of Myeloid-derived Suppressor Cells to Alleviate Graft-versus-host Disease

BACKGROUND

Stimulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) formation represents a potential curative therapeutic approach for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which significantly impacts the prognosis of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. However, the lack of an effective strategy for inducing MDSC production in vivo has hindered their clinical application. In our previous study, MDSC expansion was observed in interleukin (IL)-27-treated mice.

METHODS

In this study, we overexpressed exogenous IL-27 in mice using a recombinant adeno-associated virus vector to investigate its therapeutic and exacerbating effects in murine GVHD models.

RESULTS

In our study, we demonstrated that exogenous administration of IL-27 significantly suppressed GVHD development in a mouse model. We found that IL-27 treatment indirectly inhibited the proliferation and activation of donor T cells by rapidly expanding recipient and donor myeloid cells, which act as MDSCs after irradiation or under inflammatory conditions, rather than through regulatory T-cell expansion. Additionally, IL-27 stimulated MDSC expansion by enhancing granulocyte-monocyte progenitor generation. Notably, we verified that IL-27 signaling in donor T cells exerted an antagonistic effect on GVHD prevention and treatment. Further investigation revealed that combination therapy involving IL-27 and T-cell depletion exhibited remarkable preventive effects on GVHD in both mouse and xenogeneic GVHD models.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, these findings suggest that IL-27 promotes MDSC generation to reduce the incidence of GVHD, whereas targeted activation of IL-27 signaling in myeloid progenitors or its combination with T-cell depletion represents a potential strategy for GVHD therapy.

Proximity-dependent labeling identifies dendritic cells that drive the tumor-specific CD4+ T cell response

Dendritic cells (DCs) are uniquely capable of transporting tumor antigens to tumor-draining lymph nodes (tdLNs) and interact with effector T cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) itself, mediating both natural antitumor immunity and the response to checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. Using LIPSTIC (Labeling Immune Partnerships by SorTagging Intercellular Contacts)-based single-cell transcriptomics, we identified individual DCs capable of presenting antigen to CD4+ T cells in both the tdLN and TME. Our findings revealed that DCs with similar hyperactivated transcriptional phenotypes interact with helper T cells both in tumors and in the tdLN and that checkpoint blockade drugs enhance these interactions. These findings show that a relatively small fraction of DCs is responsible for most of the antigen presentation in the tdLN and TME to both CD4+ and CD8+ tumor-specific T cells and that classical checkpoint blockade enhances CD40-driven DC activation at both sites.

IL-27 Gene Therapy Ameliorates IPEX Syndrome Caused by Germline Mutation of Foxp3 Gene: A Major Role for Induction of IL-10

Inactivating mutations of Foxp3, the master regulator of regulatory T cell development and function, lead to immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked (IPEX) syndrome in mice and humans. IPEX is a fatal autoimmune disease, with allogeneic stem cell transplant being the only available therapy. In this study, we report that a single dose of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-IL-27 to young mice with naturally occurring Foxp3 mutation (Scurfy mice) substantially ameliorates clinical symptoms, including growth retardation and early fatality. Correspondingly, AAV-IL-27 gene therapy significantly prevented naive T cell activation, as manifested by downregulation of CD62L and upregulation of CD44, and immunopathology typical of IPEX. Because IL-27 is known to induce IL-10, a key effector molecule of regulatory T cells, we evaluated the contribution of IL-10 induction by crossing IL-10-null allele to Scurfy mice. Although IL-10 deficiency does not affect the survival of Scurfy mice, it largely abrogated the therapeutic effect of AAV-IL-27. Our study revealed a major role for IL-10 in AAV-IL-27 gene therapy and demonstrated that IPEX is amenable to gene therapy.

Current Trends and Innovative Approaches in Cancer Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is one of the most promising therapeutic approaches in the field of cancer treatment. As a tumor progresses, tumor cells employ an array of immune-regulatory mechanisms to suppress immune responses within the tumor microenvironment. Using our understanding of these mechanisms, cancer immunotherapy has been developed to enhance the immune system's effectiveness in treating cancer. Numerous cancer immunotherapies are currently in clinical use, yet many others are either in different stages of development or undergoing clinical studies. In this paper, we briefly discuss the features and current status of cancer immunotherapies. This includes the application of monoclonal antibodies, immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive cell therapy, cytokine therapy, cancer vaccines, and gene therapy, all of which have gained significant recognition in clinical practice. Additionally, we discuss limitations that may hinder successful clinical utilization and promising strategies, such as combining immunotherapy with nanotechnology.

Highly expressed of BID indicates poor prognosis and mediates different tumor microenvironment characteristics in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Studies have found that BH3 interacting domain death agonist (BID) is closely related to the occurrence and development of many kinds of tumors. However, little attention has been paid to the situation of BID in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). So, our aim was to explore the effect of BID in ccRCC.

METHODS

Survival analysis, ROC curve, correlation analysis and Cox regression analysis were executed to analyze the prognostic value and clinical correlation of BID in ccRCC. The risk prognosis model was constructed in the training cohort and further validated in the internal testing cohort, ICGC cohort, and GEO cohort. Transcriptome sequencing and immunohistochemical staining of clinical specimens were used to validate the results of bioinformatics analysis. The GSEA, ESTIMATE algorithm, CIBERSORT algorithm, ssGSEA, TIDE score, correlation and difference analysis were used to analyze the effects of BID on immune infiltration in tumor microenvironment (TME).

RESULTS

BID was highly expressed in ccRCC tissues, which was verified by transcriptome sequencing and immunohistochemical staining of clinical specimens. Patients with high expression of BID had a worse prognosis. BID is an independent prognostic factor for ccRCC. The prognostic model based on BID can accurately predict the prognosis of patients in different cohorts. In addition, the expression levels of BID was closely related to immunomodulatory molecules such as PD-1, LAG3, and CTLA4. Enrichment analysis indicated that BID was significantly enriched in immune-related responses and cancer-related pathways. The change of BID expression mediates different characteristics of immune infiltration in TME.

CONCLUSIONS

BID is highly expressed in ccRCC, which is a reliable biomarker of ccRCC prognosis. It is closely related to TME, and may be a potential target for immunotherapy in patients with ccRCC.

IL-27 in combination with anti-PD-1 can be anti-cancer or pro-cancer

Interleukin-27 (IL-27) is known to play opposing roles in immunology. The present paper considers, specifically, the role IL-27 plays in cancer immunotherapy when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD-1. We first develop a mathematical model for this combination therapy, by a system of Partial Differential Equations, and show agreement with experimental results in mice injected with melanoma cells. We then proceed to simulate tumor volume with IL-27 injection at a variable dose F and anti-PD-1 at a variable dose g. We show that in some range of "small" values of g, as f increases tumor volume decreases as long as fFc(g), where Fc(g) is a monotone increasing function of g. This demonstrates that IL-27 can be both anti-cancer and pro-cancer, depending on the ranges of both anti-PD-1 and IL-27.

Cabozantinib and IL-27 combinatorial therapy for bone-metastatic prostate cancer

Introduction: Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among American men. Prostate tumor cells exhibit significant tropism for the bone and once metastasis occurs, survival rates fall significantly. Current treatment options are not curative and focus on symptom management. Immunotherapies are rapidly emerging as a possible therapeutic option for a variety of cancers including prostate cancer, however, variable patient response remains a concern. Chemotherapies, like cabozantinib, can have immune-priming effects which sensitize tumors to immunotherapies. Additionally, lower doses of chemotherapy can be used in this context which can reduce patient side effects. We hypothesized that a combination of chemotherapy (cabozantinib) and immunotherapy [Interleukin-27 (IL-27)] could be used to treat bone-metastatic prostate cancer and exert pro-osteogenic effects. IL-27 is a multi-functional cytokine, which promotes immune cell recruitment to tumors, while also promoting bone repair. Methods: To test this hypothesis, in vivo experiments were performed where syngeneic C57BL/6J mice were implanted intratibially with TRAMP-C2ras-Luc cells that are able to form tumors in bone. Immunotherapy was administered in the form of intramuscular gene therapy, delivering plasmid DNA encoding a reporter gene (Lucia), and/or a therapeutic gene (IL-27). Sonoporation was used to aid gene delivery. Following immunotherapy, the animals received either cabozantinib or a vehicle control by oral gavage. Bioluminescence imaging was used to monitor tumor size over time. Results: Combinatorial therapy inhibited tumor growth and improved survival. Further, RNA sequencing was used to investigate the mechanisms involved. Microcomputed tomography and differentiation assays indicated that the combination therapy improved bone quality by enhancing osteoblast differentiation and inhibiting osteoclast differentiation. Discussion: Our conclusion is that a chemo-immunotherapy approach such as the one examined in this work has potential to emerge as a novel therapeutic strategy for treating bone-metastatic prostate cancer. This approach will enable a significant reduction in chemotherapy-associated toxicity, enhance sensitivity to immunotherapy, and improve bone quality.

IL-27 Gene Therapy Induces Stat3-Mediated Expansion of CD11b+Gr1+ Myeloid Cells and Promotes Accumulation of M1 Macrophages in the Tumor Microenvironment

IL-27 is a pleiotropic cytokine that exhibits stimulatory/regulatory functions on multiple lineages of immune cells and has a potential to be used as a therapeutic for cancer. We have recently demonstrated that administration of IL-27 producing adeno-associated virus (AAV-IL-27) exhibits potent inhibition of tumor growth in mouse models. In this study, we demonstrate that AAV-IL-27 treatment leads to significant expansion of CD11b+Gr1+ myeloid cells. AAV-IL-27-induced expansion of CD11b+Gr1+ cells is IL-27R-dependent and requires Stat3 signaling, but it is inhibited by Stat1 signaling. AAV-IL-27 treatment does not increase the self-renewal capacity of CD11b+Gr1+ cells but induces significant expansion of Lin-Sca1+c-Kit+ (LSK) and granulocyte-monocyte progenitor cells. Despite exhibiting significant suppression of T cells in vitro, IL-27-induced CD11b+Gr1+ cells lost the tumor-promoting activity in vivo and overall play an antitumor role. In tumors from AAV-IL-27-treated mice, CD11b+Gr1+ cells are largely F4/80+ and express high levels of MHC class I/II and M1 macrophage markers. Thus, IL-27 gene therapy induces Stat3-mediated expansion of CD11b+Gr1+ myeloid cells and promotes accumulation of M1 macrophages in the tumor microenvironment.

Cytokine receptor IL27RA is an NF-κB-responsive gene involved in CD38 upregulation in multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) shows constitutive activation of canonical and noncanonical nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling via genetic mutations or tumor microenvironment (TME) stimulations. A subset of MM cell lines showed dependency for cell growth and survival on the canonical NF-κB transcription factor RELA alone, suggesting a critical role for a RELA-mediated biological program in MM pathogenesis. Here, we determined the RELA-dependent transcriptional program in MM cell lines and found the expression of the cell surface molecules interleukin-27 receptor-α (IL-27Rα) and the adhesion molecule JAM2 to be responsive to RELA at the messenger RNA and protein levels. IL-27Rα and JAM2 were expressed on primary MM cells at higher levels than on healthy long-lived plasma cells (PCs) in the bone marrow. IL-27 activated STAT1, and to a lesser extent STAT3, in MM cell lines and in PCs generated from memory B cells in an IL-21-dependent in vitro PC differentiation assay. Concomitant activity of IL-21 and IL-27 enhanced differentiation into PCs and increased the cell-surface expression of the known STAT target gene CD38. In accordance, a subset of MM cell lines and primary MM cells cultured with IL-27 upregulated CD38 cell-surface expression, a finding with potential implications for enhancing the efficacy of CD38-directed monoclonal antibody therapies by increasing CD38 expression on tumor cells. The elevated expression of IL-27Rα and JAM2 on MM cells compared with that on healthy PCs may be exploited for the development of targeted therapeutic strategies that modulate the interaction of MM cells with the TME.

Constitutive expression of interleukin-27 diminishes proinflammatory cytokine production without impairing effector function of engineered T cells

Immunomodulatory cytokines can alter the tumor microenvironment and promote tumor eradication. Interleukin (IL)-27 is a pleiotropic cytokine that has potential to augment anti-tumor immunity while also facilitating anti-myeloma activity. We engineered human T cells to express a recombinant single-chain (sc)IL-27 and a synthetic antigen receptor targeting the myeloma antigen, B-cell maturation antigen, and evaluated the anti-tumor function of T cells bearing scIL-27 in vitro and in vivo. We discovered that T cells bearing scIL-27 sustained anti-tumor immunity and cytotoxicity yet manifested a profound reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and tumor necrosis factor alpha. IL-27-expressing T cells therefore present a potential avenue to avert treatment-related toxicities commonly associated with engineered T-cell therapy due to the reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine profile.

Preventing high-fat diet-induced obesity and related metabolic disorders by hydrodynamic transfer of Il-27 gene

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Interleukin-27 (IL-27) is a multifaceted heterodimer cytokine that exerts both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects under different physiological conditions. IL-27 signaling plays a role in promoting energy expenditure through enhanced thermogenesis. The objective of the study is to determine the functional role of IL-27 in regulating weight gain, and glucose and lipid homeostasis in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD).

METHODS

C57BL/6 mice were hydrodynamically transferred with pLIVE-IL-27 plasmids to achieve elevated level of IL-27 in blood and then kept on a HFD for 8 weeks. The impacts of Il-27 gene transfer on HFD-induced weight gain, adiposity, hepatic lipid accumulation, insulin resistance, glucose homeostasis and the mRNA levels of genes responsible for lipogenesis, glucose homeostasis and proinflammation were assessed by methods of biochemistry, histology, and molecular biology.

RESULTS

Hydrodynamic gene transfer of Il-27 gene resulted in a peak level of serum IL-27 in mice at 14.5 ng/ml 24 h after gene transfer followed by a sustained level at 2 ng/ml. The elevated level of IL-27 blocked HFD-induced fat accumulation and weight gain without reducing food intake. It also prevented metabolic abnormities of liver steatosis and insulin resistance. IL-27 overexpression promoted expression of major thermogenic genes in brown adipose tissues; and attenuated chronic inflammation and macrophage infiltration into white adipose tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrate that regulation of IL-27 level could be an effective strategy for management of obesity and obesity-related metabolic diseases.

Development and Evaluation of a Novel Radiotracer 125I-rIL-27 to Monitor Allotransplant Rejection by Specifically Targeting IL-27Rα

Noninvasive monitoring of allograft rejection is beneficial for the prognosis of patients with organ transplantation. Recently, IL-27/IL-27Rα was proved in close relation with inflammatory diseases, and 125I-anti-IL-27Rα mAb our group developed demonstrated high accumulation in the rejection of the allograft. However, antibody imaging has limitations in the imaging background due to its large molecular weight. Therefore, we developed a novel radiotracer (iodine-125-labeled recombinant IL-27) to evaluate the advantage in the targeting and imaging of allograft rejection. In vitro specific binding of 125I-rIL-27 was determined by saturation and competitive assay. Blood clearance, biodistribution, phosphor autoradioimaging, and IL-27Rα expression were studied on day 10 after transplantation (top period of allorejection). Our results indicated that 125I-rIL-27 could bind with IL-27Rα specifically and selectively in vitro. The blood clearance assay demonstrated fast blood clearance with 13.20 μl/h of 125I-rIL-27 staying in the blood after 24 h. The whole-body phosphor autoradiography and biodistribution assay indicated a higher specific uptake of 125I-rIL-27 and a clear radioimage in allograft than in syngraft at 24 h, while a similar result was obtained at 48 h in the group of 125I-anti-IL-27Rα mAb injection. Meanwhile, a higher expression of IL-27Rα was found in the allograft by Western blot. The accumulation of radioactivity of 125I-rIL-27 was highly correlated with the expression of IL-27Rα in the allograft. In conclusion, 125I-rIL-27 could be a promising probe for acutely monitoring allograft rejection with high specific binding towards IL-27Rα on allograft and low imaging background.

Enhancedanti-tumor efficacy through a combination of intramuscularly expressed DNA vaccine and plasmid-encoded PD-1 antibody

Immune check inhibitors (ICIs) have moderate response rates (~20%-30%) in some malignancies clinically, and, when used in combination with other immunotherapeutic strategies such as DNA tumor vaccines, there is evidence to suggest that they could optimize the efficacy of cancer treatment. In this study, we validated that intramuscular injection of plasmid DNA (pDNA) encoding OVA combined with pDNA encoding α-PD-1 (abbreviated as α-PD-1 in the following treatment groups) may enhance therapeutic efficacy by means of in situ gene delivery and enhanced muscle-specific potent promoter. Mice treated with pDNA-OVA or pDNA-α-PD-1 alone showed weak tumor inhibition in the MC38-OVA-bearing model. In comparison, the combined treatment of pDNA-OVA and pDNA-α-PD-1 resulted in superior tumor growth inhibition and a significantly improved survival rate of over 60% on day 45. In the B16-F10-OVA metastasis model, the addition of the DNA vaccine enhanced resistance to tumor metastasis and increased the populations of CD8⁺ T cells in blood and spleen. In conclusion, the current research shows that a combination of pDNA-encoded PD-1 antibody and DNA vaccine expressed in vivo is an efficient, safe, and economical strategy for tumor therapy.

Constructing a Tregs-associated signature to predict the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients: A STROBE-compliant retrospective study

Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks as the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a key constituent of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and are significantly associated with patient outcomes. Our study aimed to construct a Treg-associated signature to predict the prognosis of CRC patients. The genes' expression values and patients' clinicopathological features were downloaded from TCGA and gene expression omnibus (GEO) databases. The single-cell RNA (scRNA) sequencing data of CRC were analyzed through the Deeply Integrated human Single-Cell Omics database. WGCNA analysis was used to select Tregs-associated genes (TrAGs). The infiltrated levels of immune and stromal cells were accessed through the ESTIMATE algorithm. Cox regression analysis and the LASSO algorithm were implemented to construct prognostic models. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to annotate enriched gene sets. Based on scRNA sequencing data, our study uncovered that more Tregs were significantly enriched in the TME of CRC. Then we identified 123 differentially expressed TrAGs which mainly participated in immune regulation. Given that CRC patients were reclassified into 2 subgroups with distinct overall survival based on 26 differentially expressed TrAGs with prognostic values, we subsequently constructed a signature for CRC. After training and validating in independent cohorts, we proved that this prognostic model can be well applied to predict the prognosis of CRC patients. Further analysis exhibited that more tumor-suppressing immune cells and higher immune checkpoint genes were enriched in CRC patients with high-risk scores. Moreover, immunohistochemistry analysis validated that the genes in the prognostic model were significantly elevated in CRC tissues. We were the first to construct a prognostic signature for CRC based on TrAGs and further revealed that the poor prognosis of patients was mainly attributed to the tumor-suppressing microenvironment and upregulated immune checkpoint genes in tumor tissues.

Exploring the role of interleukin-27 as a regulator of neuronal survival in central nervous system diseases

Interleukin-27 is a pleiotropic cytokine that is involved in tissue responses to infection, cell stress, neuronal disease, and tumors. Recent studies in various tissues indicate that interleukin-27 has complex activating and inhibitory properties in innate and acquired immunity. The availability of recombinant interleukin-27 protein and mice with genetic deletions of interleukin-27, its receptors and signaling mediators have helped define the role of interleukin-27 in neurodegenerative diseases. Interleukin-27 has been well-characterized as an important regulator of T cell activation and differentiation that enhances or suppresses T cell responses in autoimmune conditions in the central nervous system. Evidence is also accumulating that interleukin-27 has neuroprotective activities in the retina and brain. Interleukin-27 is secreted from and binds to infiltrating microglia, macrophage, astrocytes, and even neurons and it promotes neuronal survival by regulating pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, neuroinflammatory pathways, oxidative stress, apoptosis, autophagy, and epigenetic modifications. However, interleukin-27 can have the opposite effect and induce inflammation and cell death in certain situations. In this review, we describe the current understanding of regulatory activities of interleukin-27 on cell survival and inflammation and discuss its mechanisms of action in the brain, spinal cord, and retina. We also review evidence for and against the therapeutic potential of interleukin-27 for dampening harmful neuroinflammatory responses in central nervous system diseases.

Mathematical modeling for the combination treatment of IFN- γ and anti-PD-1 in cancer immunotherapy

When the immune-checkpoint programmed death-1 (PD-1) binds to its ligand programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) to form the complex PD-1-PD-L1, this complex inactivates immune cells resulting in cell apoptosis, downregulation of immune reaction, and tumor evasion. The antibody, anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1, blocks the PD-1-PD-L1 complex formation to restore the functions of T cells. Combination of anti-PD-1 with other treatment shows promising in different types of cancer treatments. Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) plays an important role in immune responses. It is mainly regarded as a pro-inflammatory cytokine that promotes the proliferation of CD8⁺ T cell and cytotoxic T cell, enhances the activation of Th1 cells and CD8⁺ T cells, and enhances tumor elimination. However, recent studies have been discovering many anti-inflammatory functions of IFN-γ, such as promotion of the PD-L1 expression, T cell apoptosis, and tumor metastasis, as well as inhibition of the immune recognition and the killing rates by T cells. In this work, we construct a mathematical model incorporating pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory functions of IFN-γ to capture tumor growth under anti-PD-1 treatment in the wild type and IFN-γ null mutant melanoma. Our simulation results qualitatively fit experimental data that IFN-γ null mutant with anti-PD-1 obtains the highest tumor reduction comparing to IFN-γ null mutant without anti-PD-1 and wild type tumor with anti-PD-1 therapy. Moreover, our synergy analysis indicates that, in the combination treatment, the tumor volume decreases as either the dosage of anti-PD-1 increases or the IFN-γ production efficiency decreases. Thus, the combination of anti-PD-1 and IFN-γ blockade improves the tumor reduction comparing to the monotherapy of anti-PD-1 or the monotherapy of IFN-γ blockade. We also find a threshold curve of the minimal dosage of anti-PD-1 corresponding to the IFN-γ production efficiency to ensure the tumor reduction under the presence of IFN-γ.

Dendritic cell-derived IL-27 p28 regulates T cell program in pathogenicity and alleviates acute graft-versus-host disease

Interleukin 27 (IL-27), a heterodimeric cytokine composed of Epstein-Barr virus-induced 3 and p28, is a pleiotropic cytokine with both pro-and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the precise role of IL-27 in acute graft-versus-host disease is not yet fully understood. In this study, utilizing mice with IL-27 p28 deficiency in dendritic cells (DCs), we demonstrated that IL-27 p28 deficiency resulted in impaired Treg cell function and enhanced effector T cell responses, corresponding to aggravated aGVHD in mice. In addition, using single-cell RNA sequencing, we found that loss of IL-27 p28 impaired Treg cell generation and promoted IL-1R2⁺TIGIT⁺ pathogenic CD4⁺ T cells in the thymus at a steady state. Mechanistically, IL-27 p28 deficiency promoted STAT1 phosphorylation and Th1 cell responses, leading to the inhibition of Treg cell differentiation and function. Finally, patients with high levels of IL-27 p28 in serum showed a substantially decreased occurrence of grade II-IV aGVHD and more favorable overall survival than those with low levels of IL-27 p28. Thus, our results suggest a protective role of DC-derived IL-27 p28 in the pathogenesis of aGVHD through modulation of the Treg/Teff cell balance during thymic development. IL-27 p28 may be a valuable marker for predicting aGVHD development after transplantation in humans.

IL-27 Induces CCL5 Production by T Lymphocytes, Which Contributes to Antitumor Activity

IL-27 is a pleiotropic cytokine that exhibits stimulatory/regulatory functions on multiple lineages of immune cells including T lymphocytes. In this study, we demonstrate that IL-27 directly induces CCL5 production by T lymphocytes, particularly CD8⁺ T cells in vitro and in vivo. IL-27-induced CCL5 production is IL-27R-dependent. In CD4⁺ T cells, IL-27-induced CCL5 production was primarily dependent on Stat1 activation, whereas in CD8⁺ T cells, Stat1 deficiency does not abrogate CCL5 induction. A chromatin immunoprecipitation assay revealed that in the CCL5 promoter region, both putative Stat3 binding sites exhibit significant binding to Stat3, whereas only one out of four Stat1 binding sites displays moderate binding to Stat1. In tumor-bearing mice, IL-27 induced dramatic production of CCL5 in tumor-infiltrating T cells. IL-27-induced CCL5 appears to contribute to an IL-27-mediated antitumor effect. This is signified by diminished tumor inhibition in anti-CCL5- and IL-27-treated mice. Additionally, intratumor delivery of CCL5 mRNA using lipid nanoparticles significantly inhibited tumor growth. Thus, IL-27 induces robust CCL5 production by T cells, which contributes to antitumor activity.

Intratumoral delivery of IL-12 and IL-27 mRNA using lipid nanoparticles for cancer immunotherapy

Cytokines are important immunotherapeutics with approved drugs for the treatment of human cancers. However, systemic administration of cytokines often fails to achieve adequate concentrations to immune cells in tumors due to dose-limiting toxicity. Thus, developing localized therapy that directly delivers immune-stimulatory cytokines to tumors may improve the therapeutic efficacy. In this study, we generated novel lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) encapsulated with mRNAs encoding cytokines including IL-12, IL-27 and GM-CSF, and tested their anti-tumor activity. We first synthesized ionizable lipid materials containing di-amino groups with various head groups (DALs). The novel DAL4-LNP effectively delivered different mRNAs in vitro to tumor cells and in vivo to tumors. Intratumoral injection of DAL4-LNP loaded with IL-12 mRNA was most potent in inhibiting B16F10 melanoma tumor growth compared to IL-27 or GM-CSF mRNAs in monotherapy. Furthermore, intratumoral injection of dual DAL4-LNP-IL-12 mRNA and IL-27 mRNA showed a synergistic effect in suppressing tumor growth without causing systematic toxicity. Most importantly, intratumoral delivery of IL-12 and IL-27 mRNAs induced robust infiltration of immune effector cells, including IFN-γ and TNF-α producing NK and CD8+ T cells into tumors. Thus, intratumoral administration of DAL-LNP loaded with IL-12 and IL-27 mRNA provides a new treatment strategy for cancer.

IL-27 Improves Prophylactic Protection Provided by a Dead Tumor Cell Vaccine in a Mouse Melanoma Model

The protocol used to induce cell death for generating vaccines from whole tumor cells is a critical consideration that impacts vaccine efficacy. Here we compared how different protocols used to induce cell death impacted protection provided by a prophylactic whole tumor cell vaccine in a mouse melanoma model. We found that melanoma cells exposed to γ-irradiation or lysis combined with UV-irradiation (LyUV) provided better protection against tumor challenge than lysis only or cells exposed to UV-irradiation. Furthermore, we found that the immunoregulatory cytokine, IL-27 enhanced protection against tumor growth in a dose-dependent manner when combined with either LyUV or γ-irradiated whole tumor cell vaccine preparations. Taken together, this data supports the use of LyUV as a potential protocol for developing whole tumor cell prophylactic cancer vaccines. We also showed that IL-27 can be used at low doses as a potent adjuvant in combination with LyUV or γ-irradiation treated cancer cells to improve the protection provided by a prophylactic cancer vaccine in a mouse melanoma model.

IL-27 Improves Adoptive CD8+ T Cells Antitumor Activity via Enhancing Cells Survival and Memory T Cells Differentiation

IL-27 is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that triggers enhanced antitumor immunity, particularly cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses. In the present study, we sought to develop IL-27 into a therapeutic adjutant for adoptive T-cell therapy using our well-established models. We have found that IL-27 directly improved the survival status and cytotoxicity of adoptive OT-1 CD8⁺ T cells in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, IL-27 treatment programs memory T cells differentiation in CD8⁺ T cells, characterized by up regulation of genes associated with T cell memory differentiation (T-bet, Eomes, Blimp1 and Ly6C). Additionally, we engineered the adoptive OT-1 CD8⁺ T cells to deliver IL-27. In mice, the established tumors treated with OT-1 CD8⁺ T-IL-27 were completely rejected, which demonstrated that IL-27 delivered via tumor antigen-specific T cells enhance adoptive T cells cancer immunity. To our knowledge, this is the first application of CD8⁺ T cells as a vehicle to deliver IL-27 to treat tumors. Thus, these studies demonstrate IL-27 is a feasible approach for enhancing CD8⁺ T cells anti-tumor immunity and can be used as a therapeutic adjutant for T cell adoptive transfer to treat cancer.

Immune System in Action

Tumor exists as a complex network of structures with an ability to evolve and evade the host immune surveillance mechanism. The immune milieu which includes macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, neutrophils, mast cells, B cells, and T cells is found in the core, the invasive margin, or the adjacent stromal or lymphoid component of the tumor. The immune infiltrate is heterogeneous and varies within a patient and between patients of the same tumor histology. The location, density, functionality, and the crosstalk between the immune cells in the tumor microenvironment influence the nature of immune response, prognosis, and treatment outcomes in cancer patients. Therefore, an understanding of the characteristics of the immune cells and their role in tumor immune surveillance is of paramount importance to identify immune targets and to develop novel immune therapeutics in the war against cancer. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the individual components of the human immune system and the translational relevance of predictive biomarkers.

Integrative Characterization of the Role of IL27 In Melanoma Using Bioinformatics Analysis

Background

IL27 has been reported to play dual roles in cancer; however, its effects on the tumor microenvironment (TME), immunotherapy, and prognosis in melanoma remain largely unclear. This study was aimed to uncover the effects of IL27 on TME, immunotherapy and prognosis in patients with melanoma.

Methods

RNA-seq data, drug sensitivity data, and clinical data were obtained from TCGA, GEO, CCLE, and CTRP. Log-rank test was used to determine the survival value of IL27. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were employed to determine the independent predictors of survival outcomes. DAVID and GSEA were used to perform gene set functional annotations. ssGSEA was used to explore the association between IL27 and immune infiltrates. ConsensusClusterPlus was used to classify melanoma tissues into hot tumors or cold tumors.

Results

Clinically, IL27 was negatively correlated with Breslow depth (P = 0.00042) and positively associated with response to radiotherapy (P = 0.038). High IL27 expression showed an improved survival outcome (P = 0.00016), and could serve as an independent predictor of survival outcomes (hazard ratio: 0.32 - 0.88, P = 0.015). Functionally, elevated IL27 expression could induce an enhanced immune response and pyroptosis (R = 0.64, P = 1.2e-55), autophagy (R = 0.37, P = 7.1e-17) and apoptosis (R = 0.47, P = 1.1e-27) in patients with melanoma. Mechanistically, elevated IL27 expression was positively correlated with cytotoxic cytokines (including INFG and GZMB), enhanced immune infiltrates, and elevated CD8/Treg ratio (R = 0.14, P = 0.02), possibly driving CD8⁺ T cell infiltration by suppressing β-catenin signaling in the TME. Furthermore, IL27 was significantly associated with hot tumor state, multiple predictors of response to immunotherapy, and improved drug response in patients with melanoma.

Conclusions

IL27 was correlated with enriched CD8⁺ T cells, desirable therapeutic response and improved prognosis. It thus can be utilized as a promising modulator in the development of cytokine-based immunotherapy for melanoma.

The dual role of IL-27 in CD4+T cells

Interleukin-27 (IL-27), a member of the IL-6/IL-12 family, has diverse regulatory functions in various immune responses, and is recognised as a potent agonist and antagonist of CD4+T cells in different contexts. However, this dual role and underlying mechanisms have not been completely defined. In the present review, we summarise the dual role of IL-27 in CD4+T cells. In particular, we aimed to decipher its mechanism to better understand the context-dependent function of IL-27 in CD4+T cells. Furthermore, we propose a possible mechanism for the dual role of IL-27. This may be helpful for the development of appropriate IL-27 treatments in various clinical settings.

IL-12 Family Cytokines in Cancer and Immunotherapy

The IL-12 family cytokines are a group of unique heterodimeric cytokines that include IL-12, IL-23, IL-27, IL-35 and, most recently, IL-39. Recent studies have solidified the importance of IL-12 cytokines in shaping innate and adaptive immune responses in cancer and identified multipronged roles for distinct IL-12 family members, ranging from effector to regulatory immune functions. These cytokines could serve as promising candidates for the development of immunomodulatory therapeutic approaches. Overall, IL-12 can be considered an effector cytokine and has been found to engage anti-tumor immunity by activating the effector Th1 response, which is required for the activation of cytotoxic T and NK cells and tumor clearance. IL-23 and IL-27 play dual roles in tumor immunity, as they can both activate effector immune responses and promote tumor growth by favoring immune suppression. IL-35 is a potent regulatory cytokine and plays a largely pro-tumorigenic role by inhibiting effector T cells. In this review, we summarize the recent findings on IL-12 family cytokines in the control of tumor growth with an emphasis primarily on immune regulation. We underscore the clinical implications for the use of these cytokines either in the setting of monotherapy or in combination with other conventional therapies for the more effective treatment of malignancies.

Long-Term Systemic Expression of a Novel PD-1 Blocking Nanobody from an AAV Vector Provides Antitumor Activity without Toxicity

Immune checkpoint blockade using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) able to block programmed death-1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 axis represents a promising treatment for cancer. However, it requires repetitive systemic administration of high mAbs doses, often leading to adverse effects. We generated a novel nanobody against PD-1 (Nb11) able to block PD-1/PD-L1 interaction for both mouse and human molecules. Nb11 was cloned into an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector downstream of four different promoters (CMV, CAG, EF1α, and SFFV) and its expression was analyzed in cells from rodent (BHK) and human origin (Huh-7). Nb11 was expressed at high levels in vitro reaching 2–20 micrograms/mL with all promoters, except SFFV, which showed lower levels. Nb11 in vivo expression was evaluated in C57BL/6 mice after intravenous administration of AAV8 vectors. Nb11 serum levels increased steadily along time, reaching 1–3 microgram/mL two months post-treatment with the vector having the CAG promoter (AAV-CAG-Nb11), without evidence of toxicity. To test the antitumor potential of this vector, mice that received AAV-CAG-Nb11, or saline as control, were challenged with colon adenocarcinoma cells (MC38). AAV-CAG-Nb11 treatment prevented tumor formation in 30% of mice, significantly increasing survival. These data suggest that continuous expression of immunomodulatory nanobodies from long-term expression vectors could have antitumor effects with low toxicity.

Gene delivery for immunoengineering

A growing number of gene delivery strategies are being employed for immunoengineering in applications ranging from infectious disease prevention to cancer therapy. Viral vectors tend to have high gene transfer capability but may be hampered by complications related to their intrinsic immunogenicity. Non-viral methods of gene delivery, including polymeric, lipid-based, and inorganic nanoparticles as well as physical delivery techniques, have also been widely investigated. By using either ex vivo engineering of immune cells that are subsequently adoptively transferred or in vivo transfection of cells for in situ genetic programming, researchers have developed different approaches to precisely modulate immune responses. In addition to expressing a gene of interest through intracellular delivery of plasmid DNA and mRNA, researchers are also delivering oligonucleotides to knock down gene expression and immunostimulatory nucleic acids to tune immune activity. Many of these biotechnologies are now in clinical trials and have high potential to impact medicine.

The mechanism of and the association between interleukin-27 and chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity in lung cancer

Interleukins (ILs) are involved in the occurrence and development of numerous types of cancer, and serve a critical role in the development of effective cancer therapeutics. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of IL-27 on chemotherapy resistance in lung cancer cells, and analyze its potential molecular mechanism in lung cancer tissues. Western blot analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed to examine the RNA and protein expression levels of IL-27. A Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was performed to evaluate the proliferation rates of the lung cancer line A549. Flow cytometry was subsequently applied to determine the rate of apoptosis in A549 cells. The data obtained revealed that the expression of IL-27 with cisplatin, significantly suppressed the proliferation and apoptosis of A549 cells compared with that in the cisplatin treatment group alone. The expression of Akt and apoptosis factors such as Caspase-3 and Bcl-2/Bax also ascertained that upregulated IL-27 inhibited the development of cancer and increased apoptosis in the A549 cells. Therefore, IL-27 may represent a potential target for antitumor therapy, especially when considering the clinical challenges presented by the development of chemoresistance in tumors. These findings suggest that IL-27 is a promising biomarker and represents a novel treatment strategy for patients with lung cancer.

IL-27, a pleiotropic cytokine for fine-tuning the immune response in cancer

Interleukin (IL)-27, a member of the IL-6/IL-12 family, has an important role in modulating inflammation in partnership with innate and adaptive immune cells. IL-27 binding to IL-27R starts downstream signaling based on the target cells. It can instigate inflammation by inducing CD4+ T cell proliferation, Th1 polarization, cytotoxic T cell activation, generation of the natural killer cell, and macrophage and dendritic cell activation. However, by inducing programmed cell death and suppression of effector cells, IL-27 can suppress inflammation and return the immune response to hemostasis. Altogether, IL-27 displays multifaceted dual functions, which may result in either pro- or anti-inflammatory effects. Recent investigations indicated the antitumor activity of IL-27 via inducing Th1, and CTL responses and generating NK cells. On the other hand, IL-27 also can promote tumor cells' proliferation, survival, and angiogenesis. In the present review, we'll discuss recent advances concerning the role of IL-27 in inflammatory diseases such as infections, autoimmune diseases with a focus on cancer.

Is AAV-delivered IL-27 a potential immunotherapeutic for cancer?

Cytokines are one of the first immunotherapeutics utilized in trials of human cancers with significant success. However, due to their significant toxicity and often lack of efficacy, cytokines have given their spotlight to other cancer immunotherapeutics such as immune checkpoint inhibitors. Nevertheless, only a subset of cancer patients respond to checkpoint inhibitors. Therefore, developing a novel cytokine-based immunotherapy is still necessary. Among an array of cytokine candidates, IL-27 is a unique one that exhibits clear anti-tumor activity with low toxicity. Systemically delivered IL-27 by adeno-associated virus (AAV-IL-27) is very well tolerized by mice and exhibits potent anti-tumor activity in a variety of tumor models. AAV-IL-27 exerts its anti-tumor activity through directly stimulation of immune effector cells and systemic depletion of Tregs, and is particularly suitable for delivery in combination with checkpoint inhibitors or vaccines. Additionally, AAV-IL-27 can also be delivered locally to tumors to exert its unique actions. In this review, we summarize the evidence that support these points and propose AAV-delivered IL-27 as a potential immunotherapeutic for cancer.

Nucleic Acid-Based Approaches for Tumor Therapy

Within the last decade, the introduction of checkpoint inhibitors proposed to boost the patients' anti-tumor immune response has proven the efficacy of immunotherapeutic approaches for tumor therapy. Furthermore, especially in the context of the development of biocompatible, cell type targeting nano-carriers, nucleic acid-based drugs aimed to initiate and to enhance anti-tumor responses have come of age. This review intends to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of the therapeutic use of nucleic acids for cancer treatment on various levels, comprising (i) mRNA and DNA-based vaccines to be expressed by antigen presenting cells evoking sustained anti-tumor T cell responses, (ii) molecular adjuvants, (iii) strategies to inhibit/reprogram tumor-induced regulatory immune cells e.g., by RNA interference (RNAi), (iv) genetically tailored T cells and natural killer cells to directly recognize tumor antigens, and (v) killing of tumor cells, and reprograming of constituents of the tumor microenvironment by gene transfer and RNAi. Aside from further improvements of individual nucleic acid-based drugs, the major perspective for successful cancer therapy will be combination treatments employing conventional regimens as well as immunotherapeutics like checkpoint inhibitors and nucleic acid-based drugs, each acting on several levels to adequately counter-act tumor immune evasion.

Towards Clinical Implementation of Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) Vectors for Cancer Gene Therapy: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors have gained tremendous attention as in vivo delivery systems in gene therapy for inherited monogenetic diseases. First market approvals, excellent safety data, availability of large-scale production protocols, and the possibility to tailor the vector towards optimized and cell-type specific gene transfer offers to move from (ultra) rare to common diseases. Cancer, a major health burden for which novel therapeutic options are urgently needed, represents such a target. We here provide an up-to-date overview of the strategies which are currently developed for the use of AAV vectors in cancer gene therapy and discuss the perspectives for the future translation of these pre-clinical approaches into the clinic.

Intra-Tumoral Delivery of IL-27 Using Adeno-Associated Virus Stimulates Anti-tumor Immunity and Enhances the Efficacy of Immunotherapy

IL-27 is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that has been shown to have potent anti-tumor activity. We recently reported that systemic delivery of IL-27 using recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) induced depletion of Tregs and significantly enhanced the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy in a variety of mouse tumor models. A potential caveat of systemic delivery of IL-27 using rAAV is that there is no practical method to terminate IL-27 production when its biological activity is no longer needed. Therefore, in this work, we tested if directly injecting AAV-IL-27 into tumors could lead to similar anti-tumor effect yet avoiding uncontrolled IL-27 production. We found that high levels of IL-27 was produced in tumors and released to peripheral blood after AAV-IL-27 intra-tumoral injection. AAV-IL-27 local therapy showed potent anti-tumor activity in mice bearing plasmacytoma J558 tumors and modest anti-tumor activity in mice bearing B16.F10 tumors. Intra-tumoral injection of AAV-IL-27 induced infiltration of immune effectors including CD8+ T cells and NK cells into tumors, caused systemic reduction of Tregs and stimulated protective immunity. Mechanistically, we found that IL-27 induced T cell expression of CXCR3 in an IL-27R-dependent manner. Additionally, we found that AAV-IL-27 local therapy had significant synergy with anti-PD-1 or T cell adoptive transfer therapy. Importantly, in mice whose tumors were completely rejected, IL-27 serum levels were significantly reduced or diminished. Thus, intra-tumoral injection of AAV-IL-27 is a feasible approach that can be used alone and in combination with anti-PD-1 antibody or T cell adoptive transfer for the treatment of cancer.

IL-27, IL-30, and IL-35: A Cytokine Triumvirate in Cancer

The role of the immune system in anti-tumor immunity cannot be overstated, as it holds the potential to promote tumor eradication or prevent tumor cell escape. Cytokines are critical to influencing the immune responses and interactions with non-immune cells. Recently, the IL-12 and IL-6 family of cytokines have accumulated newly defined members each with specific immune functions related to various cancers and tumorigenesis. There is a need to better understand how cytokines like IL-27, IL-30, and IL-35 interact with one another, and how a developing tumor can exploit these interactions to enhance immune suppression. Current cytokine-based immunotherapies are associated with cytotoxic side effects which limits the success of treatment. In addition to this toxicity, understanding the complex interactions between immune and cancer cells may be one of the greatest challenges to developing a successful immunotherapy. In this review, we bring forth IL-27, IL-30, and IL-35, “sister cytokines,” along with more recent additions to the IL-12 family, which serve distinct purposes despite sharing structural similarities. We highlight how these cytokines function in the tumor microenvironment by examining their direct effects on cancer cells as well their indirect actions via regulatory functions of immune cells that act to either instigate or inhibit tumor progression. Understanding the context dependent immunomodulatory outcomes of these sister cytokines, as well as their regulation within the tumor microenvironment, may shed light onto novel cancer therapeutic treatments or targets.

Short-Term Local Expression of a PD-L1 Blocking Antibody from a Self-Replicating RNA Vector Induces Potent Antitumor Responses

Immune checkpoint blockade has shown anti-cancer efficacy, but requires systemic administration of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), often leading to adverse effects. To avoid toxicity, mAbs could be expressed locally in tumors. We developed adeno-associated virus (AAV) and Semliki Forest virus (SFV) vectors expressing anti-programmed death ligand 1 (aPDL1) mAb. When injected intratumorally in MC38 tumors, both viral vectors led to similar local mAb expression at 24 h, diminishing quickly in SFV-aPDL1-treated tumors. However, SFV-aPDL1 induced >40% complete regressions and was superior to AAV-aPDL1, as well as to aPDL1 mAb given systemically or locally. SFV-aPDL1 induced abscopal effects and was also efficacious against B16-ovalbumin (OVA). The higher SFV-aPDL1 antitumor activity could be related to local upregulation of interferon-stimulated genes because of SFV RNA replication. This was confirmed by combining local SFV-LacZ administration and systemic aPDL1 mAb, which provided higher antitumor effects than each separated agent. SFV-aPDL1 promoted tumor-specific CD8 T cells infiltration in both tumor models. In MC38, SFV-aPDL1 upregulated co-stimulatory markers (CD137/OX40) in tumor CD8 T cells, and its combination with anti-CD137 mAb showed more pronounced antitumor effects than each single agent. These results indicate that local transient expression of immunomodulatory mAbs using non-propagative RNA vectors inducing type I interferon (IFN-I) responses represents a potent and safe approach for cancer treatment.

Signaling Through gp130 Compromises Suppressive Function in Human FOXP3+ Regulatory T Cells

The CD4⁺FOXP3⁺ regulatory T cell (Treg) subset is an indispensable mediator of immune tolerance. While high and stable expression of the transcription factor FOXP3 is considered a hallmark feature of Treg cells, our previous studies have demonstrated that the human FOXP3⁺ subset is functionally heterogeneous, whereby a sizeable proportion of FOXP3⁺ cells in healthy individuals have a diminished capacity to suppress the proliferation and cytokine production of responder cells. Notably, these non-suppressive cells are indistinguishable from suppressive Treg cells using conventional markers of human Treg. Here we investigate potential factors that underlie loss of suppressive function in human Treg cells. We show that high expression of the IL-6 family cytokine receptor subunit gp130 identifies Treg cells with reduced suppressive capacity ex vivo and in primary FOXP3⁺ clones. We further show that two gp130-signaling cytokines, IL-6 and IL-27, impair the suppressive capacity of human Treg cells. Finally, we show that gp130 signaling reduces the expression of the transcription factor Helios, whose expression is essential for stable Treg function. These results highlight the role of gp130 in regulating human Treg function, and suggest that modulation of gp130 signaling may serve as a potential avenue for the therapeutic manipulation of human Treg function.

Production and use of adeno-associated virus vectors as tools for cancer immunotherapy

Recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs) are attractive tools for research in cancer immunotherapy. A single administration of an AAV vector in tumor mouse models induces a progressive increase in transgene expression which reaches a plateau 1 or 2 weeks after administration. The rAAV is then able to maintain the expression of the immunostimulatory transgene. Thus, the use of these vectors obviates the need for frequent administrations of the therapeutic protein to achieve the antitumor effect. The long-term expression of AAV vectors can be exploited for the evaluation of the antitumor activity of immune-enhancing proteins. Most preclinical studies have focused on the expression of cytokines and on the induction of immune responses elicited by tumor-associated antigens expressed by rAAVs. Notwithstanding, rAAVs may not be suitable for immunostimulatory proteins that require high and/or immediate expression. In this chapter, we review a feasible, reliable and detailed protocol to produce and purify AAV vectors as a tool for cancer immunotherapy strategies.

A CRISPR/Cas9 based polymeric nanoparticles to treat/inhibit microbial infections

The latest breakthrough towards the adequate and decisive methods of gene editing tools provided by CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat/CRISPR Associated System), has been repurposed into a tool for genetically engineering eukaryotic cells and now considered as the major innovation in gene-related disorders. Nanotechnology has provided an alternate way to overcome the conventional problems where methods to deliver therapeutic agents have failed. The use of nanotechnology has the potential to safe-side the CRISPR/Cas9 components delivery by using customized polymeric nanoparticles for safety and efficacy. The pairing of two (CRISPR/Cas9 and nanotechnology) has the potential for opening new avenues in therapeutic use. In this review, we will discuss the most recent advances in developing nanoparticle-based CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing cargo delivery with a focus on several polymeric nanoparticles including fabrication proposals to combat microbial infections.

PD-1+ regulatory T cells amplified by PD-1 blockade promote hyperprogression of cancer

PD-1 blockade is a cancer immunotherapy effective in various types of cancer. In a fraction of treated patients, however, it causes rapid cancer progression called hyperprogressive disease (HPD). With our observation of HPD in ∼10% of anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb)-treated advanced gastric cancer (GC) patients, we explored how anti-PD-1 mAb caused HPD in these patients and how HPD could be treated and prevented. In the majority of GC patients, tumor-infiltrating FoxP3^highCD45RA^-CD4⁺ T cells [effector Treg (eTreg) cells], which were abundant and highly suppressive in tumors, expressed PD-1 at equivalent levels as tumor-infiltrating CD4⁺ or CD8⁺ effector/memory T cells and at much higher levels than circulating eTreg cells. Comparison of GC tissue samples before and after anti-PD-1 mAb therapy revealed that the treatment markedly increased tumor-infiltrating proliferative (Ki67⁺) eTreg cells in HPD patients, contrasting with their reduction in non-HPD patients. Functionally, circulating and tumor-infiltrating PD-1⁺ eTreg cells were highly activated, showing higher expression of CTLA-4 than PD-1^- eTreg cells. PD-1 blockade significantly enhanced in vitro Treg cell suppressive activity. Similarly, in mice, genetic ablation or antibody-mediated blockade of PD-1 in Treg cells increased their proliferation and suppression of antitumor immune responses. Taken together, PD-1 blockade may facilitate the proliferation of highly suppressive PD-1⁺ eTreg cells in HPDs, resulting in inhibition of antitumor immunity. The presence of actively proliferating PD-1⁺ eTreg cells in tumors is therefore a reliable marker for HPD. Depletion of eTreg cells in tumor tissues would be effective in treating and preventing HPD in PD-1 blockade cancer immunotherapy.

Translation of cancer immunotherapy from the bench to the bedside

The tremendous success of immune checkpoint blockades has revolutionized cancer management. Our increased understanding of the cell types that compose the tumor microenvironment (TME), including those of the innate and adaptive immune system, has helped to shape additional immune modulatory strategies in cancer care. Pre-clinical and clinical investigations targeting novel checkpoint interactions and key pathways that regulate cancer immunity continue to increase rapidly. Various combinatorial drug regimens are being tested in attempt to achieve durable response and survival rates of patients with cancer. This review provides an overview of specific components of the TME, an introduction to novel immune checkpoints, followed by a survey of present day and future combination immune modulatory therapies. The idea that the immune system can recognize and destroy tumor cells was first described in the cancer immunosurveillance hypothesis of Burnet and Thomas. However, early experimental evidence failed to support the concept. It was not until the late 1990s when seminal papers clearly showed the existence of cancer immunosurveillance, leading to the cancer immunoediting hypothesis. In this century, progress in the understanding of negative regulators of the immune response led to the discovery that inhibition of these regulators in patients with cancer could lead to dramatic and durable remissions. Drs. Tasuku Honjo and James P. Allison were awarded the Nobel Prize in 2018 for their pioneering work in this field. We now see rapid advances in cancer immunology and emerging effective therapies revolutionizing cancer care across tumor types in the clinic, while pre-clinical research is moving from a focus on the malignant cells themselves to dissect the highly heterogenic and complex multi-cellular tumor microenvironment (TME).

PD-1+ regulatory T cells amplified by PD-1 blockade promote hyperprogression of cancer

PD-1 blockade is a cancer immunotherapy effective in various types of cancer. However, we observed rapid cancer progression, called hyperprogressive disease (HPD), in ∼10% of advanced gastric cancer patients treated with anti–PD-1 monoclonal antibody. Tumors of HPD patients possessed highly proliferating FoxP3⁺ Treg cells after treatment, contrasting with their reduction in non-HPD tumors. In vitro PD-1 blockade augmented proliferation and suppressive activity of human Treg cells. Likewise, murine Treg cells that were deficient in PD-1 signaling were more proliferative and immunosuppressive. Thus, HPD may occur when PD-1 blockade activates and expands tumor-infiltrating PD-1⁺ Treg cells to overwhelm tumor-reactive PD-1⁺ effector T cells. Depletion of the former may therefore help treat and prevent HPD.

PD-1 blockade is a cancer immunotherapy effective in various types of cancer. In a fraction of treated patients, however, it causes rapid cancer progression called hyperprogressive disease (HPD). With our observation of HPD in ∼10% of anti–PD-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb)-treated advanced gastric cancer (GC) patients, we explored how anti–PD-1 mAb caused HPD in these patients and how HPD could be treated and prevented. In the majority of GC patients, tumor-infiltrating FoxP3^highCD45RA⁻CD4⁺ T cells [effector Treg (eTreg) cells], which were abundant and highly suppressive in tumors, expressed PD-1 at equivalent levels as tumor-infiltrating CD4⁺ or CD8⁺ effector/memory T cells and at much higher levels than circulating eTreg cells. Comparison of GC tissue samples before and after anti–PD-1 mAb therapy revealed that the treatment markedly increased tumor-infiltrating proliferative (Ki67⁺) eTreg cells in HPD patients, contrasting with their reduction in non-HPD patients. Functionally, circulating and tumor-infiltrating PD-1⁺ eTreg cells were highly activated, showing higher expression of CTLA-4 than PD-1⁻ eTreg cells. PD-1 blockade significantly enhanced in vitro Treg cell suppressive activity. Similarly, in mice, genetic ablation or antibody-mediated blockade of PD-1 in Treg cells increased their proliferation and suppression of antitumor immune responses. Taken together, PD-1 blockade may facilitate the proliferation of highly suppressive PD-1⁺ eTreg cells in HPDs, resulting in inhibition of antitumor immunity. The presence of actively proliferating PD-1⁺ eTreg cells in tumors is therefore a reliable marker for HPD. Depletion of eTreg cells in tumor tissues would be effective in treating and preventing HPD in PD-1 blockade cancer immunotherapy.

The Immunobiology of the Interleukin-12 Family: Room for Discovery

The discovery of interleukin (IL)-6 and its receptor subunits provided a foundation to understand the biology of a group of related cytokines: IL-12, IL-23, and IL-27. These family members utilize shared receptors and cytokine subunits and influence the outcome of cancer, infection, and inflammatory diseases. Consequently, many facets of their biology are being therapeutically targeted. Here, we review the landmark discoveries in this field, the combinatorial biology inherent to this family, and how patient datasets have underscored the critical role of these pathways in human disease. We present significant knowledge gaps, including how similar signals from these cytokines can mediate distinct outcomes, and discuss how a better understanding of the biology of the IL-12 family provides new therapeutic opportunities.

Cutting Edge: IL-27 Attenuates Autoimmune Neuroinflammation via Regulatory T Cell/Lag3-Dependent but IL-10-Independent Mechanisms In Vivo

IL-27 regulates immune responses in inflammation. The underlying mechanism of IL-27 functions has long been attributed to its ability to induce IL-10 production in activated CD4 T cells. In this study, we report that Foxp3⁺ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are the main target cells of IL-27, mediating its immunoregulatory functions in vivo. Systemically delivered IL-27 efficiently prevents the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an autoimmune inflammation in the CNS. However, it failed to do so upon Treg depletion. IL-27 signaling in Tregs was necessary, as transferring Tregs deficient in IL-27Rα or Lag3, a downstream molecule induced by IL-27, was unable to protect mice from experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. IL-27 efficiently induced IL-10 expression in CD4 T cells in vitro; however, we found no evidence supporting IL-27-induced IL-10 induction in CD4 T cells in vivo. Taken together, our results uncover an irreplaceable contribution of Tregs during IL-27-mediated control of inflammation.