Potential biomarkers: Identifying powerful tumor specific T cells in adoptive cellular therapy

Comprehensive analysis of TRIM56's prognostic value and immune infiltration in Pan-Cancer

TRIM56 plays a role in tumor development through the ubiquitination of several key substrate molecules. However, its relationship with tumor prognosis and immune infiltration remains unclear. The expression and localization of TRIM56 were analyzed from TCGA_GTEx, TCGA and HPA database. The effects of TRIM56 on the proliferation and migration of lung cancer cells A549 were evaluated by CCK-8 and wound healing assays. Correlations between TRIM56 expression and survival in patients were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier Plotter and a nomogram model. Additionally, the relationship between TRIM56 and immune cell infiltration in tumors was explored via TIMER 2.0. Functional interactions and associated proteins of TRIM56 were examined using GEPIA 2.0 and the STING database. The signaling pathways influenced by TRIM56 were identified through GO and KEGG analyses. TRIM56 expression showed significant variation across 11 different tumor types when compared to normal tissues, with some tumors displaying high expression and others showing the opposite. TRIM56 inhibited the proliferation and migration of A549 cells. High TRIM56 expression was associated with shorter overall survival (OS) in patients with COAD, GBM, and LGG, but with longer OS in BLCA, KIRC, MESO, and SKCM. In BLCA and KIRC, high TRIM56 expression was closely linked to B cells, macrophages, and CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell infiltration, contributing to a favorable prognosis. TRIM56 appears to affect tumor development through transcriptional regulatory complexes, transcriptional co-regulatory factor activity, and immune-related pathways.TRIM56 may play a critical role in tumor immunity and influence tumor prognosis. It holds potential as both a target for immunotherapy and a prognostic marker.

Ki-67 expression in anti-programmed cell death protein-1 antibody-bound CD8+ T cells as a predictor of clinical benefit

AIMS

Developing predictive biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is important. Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) receptor occupancy by anti-PD-1 antibodies on circulating T cells varies among patients. However, the association between the exhaustion of these antibody-bound T cells and the clinical efficacy of ICIs remains unknown. Therefore, the present study was aimed at evaluating this association.

METHODS

This prospective cohort study included patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who received pembrolizumab therapy. Peripheral blood samples were collected during the second cycle of chemotherapy. We analyzed the relationship between exhaustion markers in pembrolizumab-bound (PB) T cells and clinical response.

RESULTS

A total of 21 patients were analyzed, including 12 patients with NSCLC and 9 patients with ESCC. The expression of Ki-67 in PB-CD8+ TCM and TEM was negatively correlated with both clinical response and overall survival.

CONCLUSION

The expression of Ki-67 of PB-CD8+ TCM and TEM can serve as a predictive biomarker for the clinical benefit of pembrolizumab therapy. Our study suggests that analyzing antibody-bound T cells could be a novel approach to predict the clinical outcomes of PD-1 blockade therapy.

Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes and Adoptive Cell Therapy: State of the Art in Colorectal, Breast and Lung Cancer

Our knowledge of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is dramatically expanding. These cells have proven prognostic and therapeutic value for many cancer outcomes and potential to treat also disseminated breast, colorectal, or lung cancer. However, the therapeutical outcome of TILs is negatively affected by tumor mutational burden and neoantigens. On the other hand, it can be improved in combination with checkpoint blockade therapy. This knowledge and rapid detection techniques alongside gene editing allow us to classify and modify T cells in many ways. Hence, to tailor them precisely to the patient´s needs as to program T cell receptors to recognize specific tumor-associated neoantigens and to insert them into lymphocytes or to select tumor neoantigen-specific T cells, for the development of vaccines that recognize tumor-specific antigens in tumors or metastases. Further studies and clinical trials in the field are needed for an even better-detailed understanding of TILs interactions and aiming in the fight against multiple cancers.