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Davola ME, Cormier O, Vito A, El-Sayes N, Collins S, Salem O, Revill S, Ask K, Wan Y, Mossman K. Oncolytic BHV-1 Is Sufficient to Induce Immunogenic Cell Death and Synergizes with Low-Dose Chemotherapy to Dampen Immunosuppressive T Regulatory Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15041295. [PMID: 36831636 PMCID: PMC9953776 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15041295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunogenic cell death (ICD) can switch immunologically "cold" tumors "hot", making them sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. Many therapeutic platforms combine multiple modalities such as oncolytic viruses (OVs) and low-dose chemotherapy to induce ICD and improve prognostic outcomes. We previously detailed many unique properties of oncolytic bovine herpesvirus type 1 (oBHV) that suggest widespread clinical utility. Here, we show for the first time, the ability of oBHV monotherapy to induce bona fide ICD and tumor-specific activation of circulating CD8+ T cells in a syngeneic murine model of melanoma. The addition of low-dose mitomycin C (MMC) was necessary to fully synergize with ICI through early recruitment of CD8+ T cells and reduced infiltration of highly suppressive PD-1+ Tregs. Cytokine and gene expression analyses within treated tumors suggest that the addition of MMC to oBHV therapy shifts the immune response from predominantly anti-viral, as evidenced by a high level of interferon-stimulated genes, to one that stimulates myeloid cells, antigen presentation and adaptive processes. Collectively, these data provide mechanistic insights into how oBHV-mediated therapy modalities overcome immune suppressive tumor microenvironments to enable the efficacy of ICI therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Eugenia Davola
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Olga Cormier
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Alyssa Vito
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Nader El-Sayes
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Susan Collins
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Omar Salem
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Spencer Revill
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
- Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
| | - Kjetil Ask
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
- Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
| | - Yonghong Wan
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Karen Mossman
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-905-525-9140 (ext. 23542)
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Cuddington BP, Mossman KL. Oncolytic bovine herpesvirus type 1 as a broad spectrum cancer therapeutic. Curr Opin Virol 2015; 13:11-6. [PMID: 25846987 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2015.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2015] [Revised: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Oncolytic viruses selectively replicate in tumor cells and elicit antitumor effects in vivo by both direct and indirect methods. They are attractive avenues of cancer therapy due to the absence of toxic side effects often seen in current treatment modalities. Bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1) holds promise as a broad-spectrum oncolytic vector that is able to infect and kill human tumor cells from a variety of histological origins, including cancer-initiating cells. In the majority of cases, BHV-1 elicits tumor cell death in the absence of a productive infection. In vivo, BHV-1 affects the incidence of secondary lesions in cotton rats bearing subcutaneous breast adenocarcinomas. These recent studies contribute to the characterization of BHV-1 as an oncolytic virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Breanne P Cuddington
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster Immunology Research Centre, Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Karen L Mossman
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster Immunology Research Centre, Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
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Enhanced efficacy with azacytidine and oncolytic BHV-1 in a tolerized cotton rat model of breast adenocarcinoma. MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS 2015; 2:15004. [PMID: 27119103 PMCID: PMC4782958 DOI: 10.1038/mto.2015.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2015] [Accepted: 01/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Oncolytic viruses selectively replicate in cancer cells by exploiting biochemical differences between normal and tumor cells. Treatment with epigenetic modifiers such as 5-Azacytidine, a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, increases the replication and cytotoxicity of oncolytic viruses in vivo and in vitro. The cotton rat is an attractive animal to study oncolytic viruses, as syngeneic models of breast adenocarcinoma and osteosarcoma are well established, and many features of primary and secondary tumor growth recapitulate human disease. Treatment of LCRT breast cancer cells with 5-Azacytidine increases bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1)-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro, with Chou-Talalay analysis indicating a very strong synergy. In vivo, BHV-1 monotherapy delayed tumor growth but did not improve survival of cotton rats with subcutaneous breast adenocarcinomas. However, combination therapy significantly decreased the incidence of secondary lesions, with enhanced tumor cell clearance and evidence of immune cell infiltration compared to BHV-1 monotherapy. Together, these results warrant further investigation of BHV-1 combination therapy with epigenetic modifiers for the treatment of breast cancer, particularly in the context of the prevention and treatment of secondary lesions.
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Cuddington B, Verschoor M, Mossman K. Handling of the cotton rat in studies for the pre-clinical evaluation of oncolytic viruses. J Vis Exp 2014:e52232. [PMID: 25490047 DOI: 10.3791/52232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Oncolytic viruses are a novel anticancer therapy with the ability to target tumor cells, while leaving healthy cells intact. For this strategy to be successful, recent studies have shown that involvement of the host immune system is essential. Therefore, oncolytic virotherapy should be evaluated within the context of an immunocompetent model. Furthermore, the study of antitumor therapies in tolerized animal models may better recapitulate results seen in clinical trials. Cotton rats, commonly used to study respiratory viruses, are an attractive model to study oncolytic virotherapy as syngeneic models of mammary carcinoma and osteosarcoma are well established. However, there is a lack of published information on the proper handling procedure for these highly excitable rodents. The handling and capture approach outlined minimizes animal stress to facilitate experimentation. This technique hinges upon the ability of the researcher to keep calm during handling and perform procedures in a timely fashion. Finally, we describe how to prepare cotton rat mammary tumor cells for consistent subcutaneous tumor formation, and how to perform intratumoral and intraperitoneal injections. These methods can be applied to a wide range of studies furthering the development of the cotton rat as a relevant pre-clinical model to study antitumor therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Breanne Cuddington
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster Immunology Research Centre, Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University
| | - Meghan Verschoor
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster Immunology Research Centre, Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University
| | - Karen Mossman
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster Immunology Research Centre, Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University;
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Permissiveness of human cancer cells to oncolytic bovine herpesvirus 1 is mediated in part by KRAS activity. J Virol 2014; 88:6885-95. [PMID: 24696490 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00849-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are attractive avenues of cancer therapy due to the absence of toxic side effects often seen with current treatment modalities. Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) is a species-specific virus that does not induce cytotoxicity in normal primary human cells but can infect and kill various human immortalized and transformed cell lines. To gain a better understanding of the oncolytic breadth of BHV-1, the NCI panel of established human tumor cell lines was screened for sensitivity to the virus. Overall, 72% of the panel is permissive to BHV-1 infection, with corresponding decreases in cellular viability. This sensitivity is in comparison to a sensitivity of only 32% for a herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1)-based oncolytic vector. Strikingly, while 35% of the panel supports minimal or no BHV-1 replication, significant decreases in cellular viability still occur. These data suggest that BHV-1 is an OV with tropism for multiple tumor types and is able to induce cytotoxicity independent of significant virus replication. In contrast to other species-specific OVs, cellular sensitivity to BHV-1 does not correlate with type I interferon (IFN) signaling; however, mutations in KRAS were found to correlate with high levels of virus replication. The knockdown or overexpression of KRAS in human tumor cell lines yields modest changes in viral titers; however, overexpression of KRAS in normal primary cells elicits permissivity to BHV-1 infection. Together, these data suggest that BHV-1 is a broad-spectrum OV with a distinct mechanism of tumor targeting. IMPORTANCE Cancer remains a significant health issue, and novel treatments are required, particularly for tumors that are refractory to conventional therapies. Oncolytic viruses are a novel platform given their ability to specifically target tumor cells while leaving healthy cells intact. For this strategy to be successful, a fundamental understanding of virus-host interactions is required. We previously identified bovine herpesvirus 1 as a novel oncolytic virus with many unique and clinically relevant features. Here, we show that BHV-1 can target a wide range of human cancer types, most potently lung cancer. In addition, we show that enhanced KRAS activity, a hallmark of many cancers, is one of the factors that increases BHV-1 oncolytic capacity. These findings hold potential for future treatments, particularly in the context of lung cancer, where KRAS mutations are a negative predictor of treatment efficacy.
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Cuddington BP, Dyer AL, Workenhe ST, Mossman KL. Oncolytic bovine herpesvirus type 1 infects and kills breast tumor cells and breast cancer-initiating cells irrespective of tumor subtype. Cancer Gene Ther 2013; 20:282-9. [DOI: 10.1038/cgt.2013.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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