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Ma Y, Lv H, Xing F, Xiang W, Wu Z, Feng Q, Wang H, Yang W. Cancer stem cell-immune cell crosstalk in the tumor microenvironment for liver cancer progression. Front Med 2024:10.1007/s11684-023-1049-z. [PMID: 38600350 DOI: 10.1007/s11684-023-1049-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Crosstalk between cancer cells and the immune microenvironment is determinant for liver cancer progression. A tumor subpopulation called liver cancer stem cells (CSCs) significantly accounts for the initiation, metastasis, therapeutic resistance, and recurrence of liver cancer. Emerging evidence demonstrates that the interaction between liver CSCs and immune cells plays a crucial role in shaping an immunosuppressive microenvironment and determining immunotherapy responses. This review sheds light on the bidirectional crosstalk between liver CSCs and immune cells for liver cancer progression, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms after presenting an overview of liver CSCs characteristic and their microenvironment. Finally, we discuss the potential application of liver CSCs-targeted immunotherapy for liver cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Ma
- Cancer Research Center, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
- National Center for Liver Cancer, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, 201805, China
| | - Hongwei Lv
- Cancer Research Center, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
- National Center for Liver Cancer, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, 201805, China
- International Co-operation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Fuxue Xing
- Cancer Research Center, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
- National Center for Liver Cancer, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, 201805, China
| | - Wei Xiang
- Cancer Research Center, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
- National Center for Liver Cancer, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, 201805, China
| | - Zixin Wu
- Cancer Research Center, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
- National Center for Liver Cancer, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, 201805, China
| | - Qiyu Feng
- Cancer Research Center, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
- National Center for Liver Cancer, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, 201805, China
| | - Hongyang Wang
- Cancer Research Center, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China.
- National Center for Liver Cancer, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, 201805, China.
- International Co-operation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, 200438, China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Hepato-biliary Tumor Biology, Shanghai, 200438, China.
- Key Laboratory of Signaling Regulation and Targeting Therapy of Liver Cancer, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, 200438, China.
| | - Wen Yang
- Cancer Research Center, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China.
- National Center for Liver Cancer, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, 201805, China.
- International Co-operation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, 200438, China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Hepato-biliary Tumor Biology, Shanghai, 200438, China.
- Key Laboratory of Signaling Regulation and Targeting Therapy of Liver Cancer, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, 200438, China.
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Peng W, Chang L, Li W, Liu Y, Zhang M. OCT4 and SOX2 Specific Cytotoxic T Cells Exhibit Not Only Good Efficiency but Also Synergize PD-1 Inhibitor (Nivolumab) in Treating Breast Cancer Stem-Like Cells and Drug-Resistant Breast Cancer Mice. Front Oncol 2022; 12:781093. [PMID: 35402219 PMCID: PMC8987438 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.781093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose This study aimed to investigate the effect of OCT4&SOX2 specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) plus programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitor (nivolumab) on treating breast cancer stem-like cells (BCSCs) in vitro and drug-resistance breast cancer (DRBC) mice in vivo. Methods In total, 160 breast cancer patients were enrolled following the immunofluorescence assay to detect tumor OCT4 and SOX2 expressions. CD154-activated B cells were co-cultured with CD8+ T cells (from breast cancer patients) in the presence of OCT4&SOX2 peptides, CMV pp65 peptides (negative control), and no peptides (normal control). MCF7-BCSCs were constructed by drug-resistance experiment and sphere-formation assay, then DRBC mice were constructed by planting MCF7-BCSCs. Subsequently, different doses of OCT4&SOX2 CTLs and PD-1 inhibitor (nivolumab) were used to treat MCF7-BCSCs and DRBC mice. Results OCT4 and SOX2 correlated with poor differentiation, more advanced stage, and worse prognosis in breast cancer patients. In vitro, OCT4&SOX2 CTLs with effector-target ratio (ETR) 5:1, 10:1 and 20:1 presented with increased cytotoxic activity compared to CMV pp65 CTLs with ETR 20:1 (negative control) and Control CTLs with ETR 20:1 (normal control) on killing MCF7-BCSCs. Besides, PD-1 inhibitor (nivolumab) improved the cytotoxic activity of OCT4&SOX2 CTLs against MCF7-BCSCs in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo, OCT4&SOX2 CTLs plus PD-1 inhibitor (nivolumab) decreased tumor volume and tumor weight while increased tumor apoptosis rate compared to OCT4&SOX2 CTLs alone, PD-1 inhibitor (nivolumab) alone, and control. Conclusion OCT4&SOX2 CTLs exhibit good efficiency and synergize PD-1 inhibitor (nivolumab) in treating BCSCs and DRBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Peng
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Zhuhai Hospital (Zhuhai Golden Bay Center Hospital), Zhuhai, China
| | - Liang Chang
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Zhuhai Hospital (Zhuhai Golden Bay Center Hospital), Zhuhai, China
| | - Wenqiang Li
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Zhuhai Hospital (Zhuhai Golden Bay Center Hospital), Zhuhai, China
| | - Yanan Liu
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Zhuhai Hospital (Zhuhai Golden Bay Center Hospital), Zhuhai, China
- *Correspondence: Yanan Liu, ; Min Zhang,
| | - Min Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Cixi People’s Hospital, Ningbo, China
- *Correspondence: Yanan Liu, ; Min Zhang,
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Ye Z, Zheng M, Zeng Y, Wei S, Wang Y, Lin Z, Shu C, Xie Y, Zheng Q, Chen L. Bioinformatics Analysis Reveals an Association Between Cancer Cell Stemness, Gene Mutations, and the Immune Microenvironment in Stomach Adenocarcinoma. Front Genet 2020; 11:595477. [PMID: 33362856 PMCID: PMC7759681 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.595477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs), characterized by infinite proliferation and self-renewal, greatly challenge tumor therapy. Research into their plasticity, dynamic instability, and immune microenvironment interactions may help overcome this obstacle. Data on the stemness indices (mRNAsi), gene mutations, copy number variations (CNV), tumor mutation burden (TMB), and corresponding clinical characteristics were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and UCSC Xena Browser. The infiltrating immune cells in stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) tissues were predicted using the CIBERSORT method. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the normal and tumor tissues were used to construct prognostic models with weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and Lasso regression. The association between cancer stemness, gene mutations, and immune responses was evaluated in STAD. A total of 6,739 DEGs were identified between the normal and tumor tissues. DEGs in the brown (containing 19 genes) and blue (containing 209 genes) co-expression modules were used to perform survival analysis based on Cox regression. A nine-gene signature prognostic model (ARHGEF38-IT1, CCDC15, CPZ, DNASE1L2, NUDT10, PASK, PLCL1, PRR5-ARHGAP8, and SYCE2) was constructed from 178 survival-related DEGs that were significantly related to overall survival, clinical characteristics, tumor microenvironment immune cells, TMB, and cancer-related pathways in STAD. Gene correlation was significant across the prognostic model, CNVs, and drug sensitivity. Our findings provide a prognostic model and highlight potential mechanisms and associated factors (immune microenvironment and mutation status) useful for targeting CSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaisheng Ye
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology, Fujian Cancer Hospital and Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
| | - Miao Zheng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yi Zeng
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology, Fujian Cancer Hospital and Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shenghong Wei
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology, Fujian Cancer Hospital and Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology, Fujian Cancer Hospital and Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhitao Lin
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology, Fujian Cancer Hospital and Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
| | - Chen Shu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology, Fujian Cancer Hospital and Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yunqing Xie
- Department of Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Biotherapy, Fujian Cancer Hospital and Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
| | - Qiuhong Zheng
- Department of Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Biotherapy, Fujian Cancer Hospital and Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
| | - Luchuan Chen
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology, Fujian Cancer Hospital and Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
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Zheng F, Dang J, Zhang H, Xu F, Ba D, Zhang B, Cheng F, Chang AE, Wicha MS, Li Q. Cancer Stem Cell Vaccination With PD-L1 and CTLA-4 Blockades Enhances the Eradication of Melanoma Stem Cells in a Mouse Tumor Model. J Immunother 2019; 41:361-368. [PMID: 30063587 DOI: 10.1097/cji.0000000000000242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies reinvigorate cancer immunotherapy. However, these immunotherapies only benefit a subset of patients. We previously reported that ALDH tumor cells were highly enriched for cancer stem cells (CSCs), and ALDH CSC lysate-pulsed dendritic cell (CSC-DC) vaccine was shown to induce CSC-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. In this study, we investigated the CSC targeting effect of the CSC-DC vaccine combined with a dual blockade of programmed death-ligand 1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein (CTLA-4) in B16-F10 murine melanoma tumor model. Our data showed that animals treated with the dual blockade of programmed death-ligand 1 and CTLA-4 and CSC-DC vaccine conferred significantly more tumor regression than the CSC-DC vaccine alone. Importantly, the triple combination treatment dramatically eliminated ALDH CSCs in vivo. We observed that CSC-DC vaccine in combination with anti-PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4 administration resulted in ∼1.7-fold fewer PD-1CD8 T cells and ∼2.5-fold fewer CTLA-4CD8 T cells than the populations observed following the CSC-DC vaccination alone. Moreover, significant antitumor effects and dramatically eliminated ALDH CSCs following the triple combination treatment were accompanied by significantly enhanced T-cell expansion, suppressed transforming growth factor β secretion, enhanced IFN-γ secretion, and significantly enhanced host specific CD8 T-cell response against CSCs. Collectively, these data showed that administration of a-PD-L1 and a-CTLA-4 combined with CSC-DC vaccine may represent an effective immunotherapeutic strategy for cancer patients in clinical.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jianzhong Dang
- Department of Geriatrics, Renmin Hospitial of Wuhan University, Wuhan
| | | | - Fangzhou Xu
- The Clinical Trial Institute, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen
| | | | | | - Fanjun Cheng
- Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
| | - Alfred E Chang
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Max S Wicha
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Qiao Li
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI
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Interactions between cancer stem cells, immune system and some environmental components: Friends or foes? Immunol Lett 2019; 208:19-29. [DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2019.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Revised: 03/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Hirohashi Y, Torigoe T, Tsukahara T, Kanaseki T, Kochin V, Sato N. Immune responses to human cancer stem-like cells/cancer-initiating cells. Cancer Sci 2015; 107:12-7. [PMID: 26440127 PMCID: PMC4724814 DOI: 10.1111/cas.12830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Revised: 09/27/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem‐like cells (CSC)/cancer‐initiating cells (CIC) are defined as minor subpopulations of cancer cells that are endowed with properties of higher tumor‐initiating ability, self‐renewal ability and differentiation ability. Accumulating results of recent studies have revealed that CSC/CIC are resistant to standard cancer therapies, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and molecular targeting therapy, and eradiation of CSC/CIC is, thus, critical to cure cancer. Cancer immunotherapy is expected to become the “fourth” cancer therapy. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) play an essential role in immune responses to cancers, and CTL can recognize CSC/CIC in an antigen‐specific manner. CSC/CIC express several tumor‐associated antigens (TAA), and cancer testis (CT) antigens are reasonable sources for CSC/CIC‐targeting immunotherapy. In this review article, we discuss CSC/CIC recognition by CTL, regulation of immune systems by CSC/CIC, TAA expression in CSC/CIC, and the advantages of CSC/CIC‐targeting immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshihiko Hirohashi
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1 West-17, Chuo-Ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Torigoe
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1 West-17, Chuo-Ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Tomohide Tsukahara
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1 West-17, Chuo-Ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Takayuki Kanaseki
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1 West-17, Chuo-Ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Vitaly Kochin
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1 West-17, Chuo-Ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Sato
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1 West-17, Chuo-Ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan
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Pan QZ, Pan K, Wang QJ, Weng DS, Zhao JJ, Zheng HX, Zhang XF, Jiang SS, Lv L, Tang Y, Li YQ, He J, Liu Q, Chen CL, Zhang HX, Xia JC. Annexin A3 as a potential target for immunotherapy of liver cancer stem-like cells. Stem Cells 2015; 33:354-66. [PMID: 25267273 DOI: 10.1002/stem.1850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2014] [Accepted: 09/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cancer stem-like cells/cancer-initiating cells (CSCs/CICs) are considered to represent a small population of cancer cells that is resistant to conventional cancer treatments and responsible for tumor recurrence and metastasis. The aim of this study was to establish CSC/CIC-targeting immunotherapy. In this study, we found that Annexin A3 (ANXA3) was preferentially expressed in CSCs/CICs derived from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells compared to non-CSCs/CICs. In HCC samples, high levels of ANXA3 correlated with expansion of CD133(+) tumor cells representing CSCs/CICs in HCC; the combination of high levels of ANXA3 and CD133 was associated with progression of HCC. Overexpression of ANXA3 increased the proportion of CD133(+) cells, enhancing their tumorigenicity. On the contrary, knockdown of ANXA3 decreased CD133(+) cells and inhibited tumorigenicity. The mechanistic study revealed that ANXA3-mediated maintenance of HCC CSCs/CICs activity was likely involved with the HIF1A/Notch pathway. Using ANXA3 as a target, ANXA3-transfected dendritic cells could induce more functionally active T cells and these effector T cells could superiorly kill CD133(+) HCC CSCs/CICs in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our findings suggest that ANXA3 plays a role in HCC CSC/CIC maintenance, and that ANXA3 may represent a potential CSC/CIC-specific therapeutic target for improving the treatment of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiu-Zhong Pan
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
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Cheng Z, Li X, Ding J. Characteristics of liver cancer stem cells and clinical correlations. Cancer Lett 2015; 379:230-8. [PMID: 26272183 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2015.07.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Revised: 07/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/18/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Liver cancer is an aggressive malignant disease with a poor prognosis. Patients with liver cancer are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and thus miss the opportunity for surgical resection. Chemotherapy and radiofrequency ablation, which target tumor bulk, have exhibited limited therapeutic efficacy to date. Liver cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subset of undifferentiated cells existed in liver cancer, which are considered to be responsible for liver cancer initiation, metastasis, relapse and chemoresistance. Elucidating liver CSC characteristics and disclosing their regulatory mechanism might not only deepen our understanding of the pathogenesis of liver cancer but also facilitate the development of diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic approaches to improve the clinical management of liver cancer. In this review, we will summarize the recent advances in liver CSC research in terms of the origin, identification, regulation and clinical correlation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuo Cheng
- International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital/Institute, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; National Center of Liver Cancer, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Xiaofeng Li
- International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital/Institute, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; National Center of Liver Cancer, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Jin Ding
- International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital/Institute, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; National Center of Liver Cancer, Shanghai 200433, China.
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