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Ferreira Almeida C, Correia-da-Silva G, Teixeira N, Amaral C. Influence of tumor microenvironment on the different breast cancer subtypes and applied therapies. Biochem Pharmacol 2024; 223:116178. [PMID: 38561089 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116178] [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: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Despite the significant improvements made in breast cancer therapy during the last decades, this disease still has increasing incidence and mortality rates. Different targets involved in general processes, like cell proliferation and survival, have become alternative therapeutic options for this disease, with some of them already used in clinic, like the CDK4/6 inhibitors for luminal A tumors treatment. Nevertheless, there is a demand for novel therapeutic strategies focused not only on tumor cells, but also on their microenvironment. Tumor microenvironment (TME) is a very complex and dynamic system that, more than surrounding and supporting tumor cells, actively participates in tumor development and progression. During the last decades, it has become clear that the cellular and acellular components of TME differ between the various breast cancer subtypes and shape the differences regarding their severity and prognosis. The pivotal role of the TME in controlling tumor growth and influencing responses to therapy represents a potential source for novel targets and therapeutic strategies. In this review, we present a description of the multiple therapeutic options used for different breast cancer subtypes, as well as the influence that the TME may exert on the development of the disease and on the response to the distinct therapies, which in some cases may explain their failure by the occurrence of relapses and resistance. Furthermore, the ongoing studies focused on the use of TME components for developing potential cancer treatments are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Ferreira Almeida
- UCIBIO, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, n° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, n° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Georgina Correia-da-Silva
- UCIBIO, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, n° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, n° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Natércia Teixeira
- UCIBIO, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, n° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, n° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Cristina Amaral
- UCIBIO, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, n° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, n° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
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Hanamura T, Yokoyama K, Kitano S, Kagamu H, Yamashita M, Terao M, Okamura T, Kumaki N, Hozumi K, Iwamoto T, Honda C, Kurozumi S, Richer JK, Niikura N. Investigating the immunological function of alpha-2-glycoprotein 1, zinc-binding in regulating tumor response in the breast cancer microenvironment. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2024; 73:42. [PMID: 38349455 PMCID: PMC10864576 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-024-03629-1] [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: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alpha-2-glycoprotein 1, zinc-binding (ZAG), a secreted protein encoded by the AZGP1 gene, is structurally similar to HLA class I. Despite its presumed immunological function, little is known about its role in tumor immunity. In this study, we thus aimed to determine the relationship between the expression of AZGP1/ZAG and the immunological profiles of breast cancer tissues at both the gene and protein level. METHODS Using a publicly available gene expression dataset from a large-scale breast cancer cohort, we conducted gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to screen the biological processes associated with AZGP1. We analyzed the correlation between AZGP1 expression and immune cell composition in breast cancer tissues, estimated using CIBERSORTx. Previously, we evaluated the infiltration of 11 types of immune cells for 45 breast cancer tissues using flow cytometry (FCM). ZAG expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry on these specimens and analyzed for its relationship with immune cell infiltration. The action of ZAG in M1/M2 polarization models using primary cultures of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)-derived macrophage (Mφ) was analyzed based on the expression of M1/M2 markers (CD86, CD80/CD163, MRC1) and HLA class I/II by FCM. RESULTS AZGP1 expression was negatively correlated with multiple immunological processes and specific immune cell infiltration including Mφ M1 using GSEA and CIBERSORTx. ZAG expression was associated with decreased infiltration of monocytes/macrophages, non-classical monocytes, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells in tumor tissues assessed using FCM. In in vitro analyses, ZAG decreased the expression of CD80, CD163, MRC1, and HLA classes I/II in the M1 polarization model and the expression of CD163 and MRC1 in the M2 polarization model. CONCLUSION ZAG is suggested to be a novel immunoregulatory factor affecting the Mφ phenotype in breast cancer tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toru Hanamura
- Department of Breast Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1193, Japan.
| | - Kozue Yokoyama
- Department of Breast Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1193, Japan
| | - Shigehisa Kitano
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy Development, Department of Advanced Medical Development, The Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR, 3-8-31, Ariake, Koto, Tokyo, 135-8550, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kagamu
- Division of Respiratory Medicine, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, 1397-1, Yamane, Hidaka-shi, Saitama Prefecture, 350-1298, Japan
| | - Makiko Yamashita
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy Development, Department of Advanced Medical Development, The Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR, 3-8-31, Ariake, Koto, Tokyo, 135-8550, Japan
| | - Mayako Terao
- Department of Breast Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1193, Japan
| | - Takuho Okamura
- Department of Breast Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1193, Japan
| | - Nobue Kumaki
- Department of Pathology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1193, Japan
| | - Katsuto Hozumi
- Department of Immunology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1193, Japan
| | - Takayuki Iwamoto
- Kawasaki Medical School Hospital, Breast and Thyroid Surgery, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki-shi, Okayama Prefecture, 701-0192, Japan
| | - Chikako Honda
- Department of General Surgical Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 39-22, Showa-Machi 3-Chome, Maebashi-shi, Gunma Prefecture, 371-8511, Japan
| | - Sasagu Kurozumi
- Department of Breast Surgery, International University of Health and Welfare, 4-3, Kozunomori, Narita-shi, Chiba Prefecture, 286-8686, Japan
| | - Jennifer K Richer
- Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12800 East 19th Avenue, Mailstop 8104, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Naoki Niikura
- Department of Breast Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1193, Japan
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Lu Y, Chen QM, An L. Semi-reference based cell type deconvolution with application to human metastatic cancers. NAR Genom Bioinform 2023; 5:lqad109. [PMID: 38143958 PMCID: PMC10748484 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqad109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Bulk RNA-seq experiments, commonly used to discern gene expression changes across conditions, often neglect critical cell type-specific information due to their focus on average transcript abundance. Recognizing cell type contribution is crucial to understanding phenotype and disease variations. The advent of single-cell RNA sequencing has allowed detailed examination of cellular heterogeneity; however, the cost and analytic caveat prohibits such sequencing for a large number of samples. We introduce a novel deconvolution approach, SECRET, that employs cell type-specific gene expression profiles from single-cell RNA-seq to accurately estimate cell type proportions from bulk RNA-seq data. Notably, SECRET can adapt to scenarios where the cell type present in the bulk data is unrepresented in the reference, thereby offering increased flexibility in reference selection. SECRET has demonstrated superior accuracy compared to existing methods using synthetic data and has identified unknown tissue-specific cell types in real human metastatic cancers. Its versatility makes it broadly applicable across various human cancer studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingying Lu
- Interdisciplinary Program in Statistics and Data Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Qin M Chen
- College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- Cancer Biology Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Lingling An
- Interdisciplinary Program in Statistics and Data Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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Tsai CC, Yang YCSH, Chen YF, Huang LY, Yang YN, Lee SY, Wang WL, Lee HL, Whang-Peng J, Lin HY, Wang K. Integrins and Actions of Androgen in Breast Cancer. Cells 2023; 12:2126. [PMID: 37681860 PMCID: PMC10486718 DOI: 10.3390/cells12172126] [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: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Androgen has been shown to regulate male physiological activities and cancer proliferation. It is used to antagonize estrogen-induced proliferative effects in breast cancer cells. However, evidence indicates that androgen can stimulate cancer cell growth in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and ER-negative breast cancer cells via different types of receptors and different mechanisms. Androgen-induced cancer growth and metastasis link with different types of integrins. Integrin αvβ3 is predominantly expressed and activated in cancer cells and rapidly dividing endothelial cells. Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) also plays a vital role in cancer growth. The part of integrins in action with androgen in cancer cells is not fully mechanically understood. To clarify the interactions between androgen and integrin αvβ3, we carried out molecular modeling to explain the potential interactions of androgen with integrin αvβ3. The androgen-regulated mechanisms on PD-L1 and its effects were also addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chung-Che Tsai
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; (C.-C.T.); (Y.-F.C.)
- Graduate Institute of Nanomedicine and Medical Engineering, College of Medical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chen S. H. Yang
- Joint Biobank, Office of Human Research, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan;
| | - Yi-Fong Chen
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; (C.-C.T.); (Y.-F.C.)
| | - Lin-Yi Huang
- Department of Pediatrics, E-DA Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan; (L.-Y.H.); (Y.-N.Y.)
| | - Yung-Ning Yang
- Department of Pediatrics, E-DA Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan; (L.-Y.H.); (Y.-N.Y.)
- School of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Yang Lee
- Dentistry, Wan-Fang Medical Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan;
- School of Dentistry, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Long Wang
- Department of Life Science, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 242, Taiwan;
| | - Hsin-Lun Lee
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan;
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- The Ph.D. Program for Translational Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
| | | | - Hung-Yun Lin
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; (C.-C.T.); (Y.-F.C.)
- Cancer Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan;
- TMU Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Traditional Herbal Medicine Research Center of Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, NY 12208, USA
| | - Kuan Wang
- Graduate Institute of Nanomedicine and Medical Engineering, College of Medical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
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García-Torralba E, Pérez Ramos M, Ivars Rubio A, Navarro-Manzano E, Blaya Boluda N, de la Morena Barrio P, García-Garre E, Martínez Díaz F, Chaves-Benito A, García-Martínez E, Ayala de la Peña F. Clinical Meaning of Stromal Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (sTIL) in Early Luminal B Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:2846. [PMID: 37345183 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15102846] [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: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Luminal breast cancer (BC) is associated with less immune activation, and the significance of stromal lymphocytic infiltration (sTIL) is more uncertain than in other BC subtypes. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive and prognostic value of sTIL in early luminal BC. The study was performed with an observational design in a prospective cohort of 345 patients with predominantly high-risk luminal (hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative) BC and with luminal B features (n = 286), in which the presence of sTIL was analyzed with validated methods. Median sTIL infiltration was 5% (Q1-Q3 range (IQR), 0-10). We found that sTIL were associated with characteristics of higher biological and clinical aggressiveness (tumor and lymph node proliferation and stage, among others) and that the percentage of sTIL was predictive of pathologic complete response in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (OR: 1.05, 95%CI 1.02-1.09, p < 0.001). The inclusion of sTIL (any level of lymphocytic infiltration: sTIL > 0%) in Cox regression multivariable prognostic models was associated with a shorter relapse-free interval (HR: 4.85, 95%CI 1.33-17.65, p = 0.016) and significantly improved its performance. The prognostic impact of sTIL was independent of other clinical and pathological variables and was mainly driven by its relevance in luminal B BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esmeralda García-Torralba
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, 30008 Murcia, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Medical School, University of Murcia, 30001 Murcia, Spain
- Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria, IMIB, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Miguel Pérez Ramos
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, 30008 Murcia, Spain
| | - Alejandra Ivars Rubio
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, 30008 Murcia, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Medical School, University of Murcia, 30001 Murcia, Spain
- Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria, IMIB, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Esther Navarro-Manzano
- Department of Medicine, Medical School, University of Murcia, 30001 Murcia, Spain
- Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria, IMIB, 30120 Murcia, Spain
- Centro Regional de Hemodonación, 30003 Murcia, Spain
| | - Noel Blaya Boluda
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, 30008 Murcia, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Medical School, University of Murcia, 30001 Murcia, Spain
- Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria, IMIB, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Pilar de la Morena Barrio
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, 30008 Murcia, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Medical School, University of Murcia, 30001 Murcia, Spain
- Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria, IMIB, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Elisa García-Garre
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, 30008 Murcia, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Medical School, University of Murcia, 30001 Murcia, Spain
- Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria, IMIB, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Francisco Martínez Díaz
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía, 30003 Murcia, Spain
- Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Murcia, 30001 Murcia, Spain
| | - Asunción Chaves-Benito
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, 30008 Murcia, Spain
- Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Murcia, 30001 Murcia, Spain
| | - Elena García-Martínez
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, 30008 Murcia, Spain
- Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria, IMIB, 30120 Murcia, Spain
- Medical School, Universidad Católica San Antonio, 30107 Murcia, Spain
| | - Francisco Ayala de la Peña
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, 30008 Murcia, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Medical School, University of Murcia, 30001 Murcia, Spain
- Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria, IMIB, 30120 Murcia, Spain
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Hanamura T, Kitano S, Kagamu H, Yamashita M, Terao M, Okamura T, Kumaki N, Hozumi K, Iwamoto T, Honda C, Kurozumi S, Niikura N. Correction: Expression of hormone receptors is associated with specific immunological profiles of the breast cancer microenvironment. Breast Cancer Res 2023; 25:28. [PMID: 36941639 PMCID: PMC10026395 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-023-01637-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Toru Hanamura
- Department of Breast Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1193, Japan
| | - Shigehisa Kitano
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy Development, Center for Advanced Medical Development, The Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR, 3-8-31, Ariake, Koto, Tokyo, 135-8550, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kagamu
- Division of Respiratory Medicine, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, 1397-1, Yamane, Hidaka-shi, Saitama Prefecture, 350-1298, Japan
| | - Makiko Yamashita
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy Development, Center for Advanced Medical Development, The Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR, 3-8-31, Ariake, Koto, Tokyo, 135-8550, Japan
| | - Mayako Terao
- Department of Breast Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1193, Japan
| | - Takuho Okamura
- Department of Breast Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1193, Japan
| | - Nobue Kumaki
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Tokai University, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1193, Japan
| | - Katsuto Hozumi
- Department of Immunology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1193, Japan
| | - Takayuki Iwamoto
- Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Okayama University Hospital, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kitaku, Okayama Prefecture, 700-8558, Japan
| | - Chikako Honda
- Department of General Surgical Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 39-22, Showa-machi 3-chome, Maebashi-shi, Gunma Prefecture, 371-8511, Japan
| | - Sasagu Kurozumi
- Department of Breast Surgery, International University of Health and Welfare, 4-3, Kozunomori, Narita-shi, Chiba Prefecture, 286-8686, Japan
| | - Naoki Niikura
- Department of Breast Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1193, Japan.
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