The double-edge role of B cells in mediating antitumor T-cell immunity: Pharmacological strategies for cancer immunotherapy

Tumor Immune Microenvironment and Its Clinicopathological and Prognostic Associations in Canine Splenic Hemangiosarcoma

Tumor cells can induce important cellular and molecular modifications in the tissue or host where they grow. The idea that the host and tumor interact with each other has led to the concept of a tumor microenvironment, composed of immune cells, stromal cells, blood vessels, and extracellular matrix, representing a unique environment participating and, in some cases, promoting cancer progression. The study of the tumor immune microenvironment, particularly focusing on the role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), is highly relevant in oncology due to the prognostic and therapeutic significance of TILs in various tumors and their identification as targets for therapeutic intervention. Canine splenic hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is a common tumor; however, its immune microenvironment remains poorly understood. This retrospective study aimed to characterize the histological and immunohistochemical features of 56 cases of canine splenic HSA, focusing particularly on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). We assessed the correlations between the lymphocytic response, the macroscopic and histological characteristics of the tumor, and the survival data. Our study demonstrated that FoxP3 distribution was associated with tumor-related death and survival, while the CD20 count was associated with metastasis. This study provides an in-depth characterization of the tumor immune microenvironment in canine splenic HSA and describes potential prognostic factors.

Dual Functions of T Lymphocytes in Breast Carcinoma: From Immune Protection to Orchestrating Tumor Progression and Metastasis

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer type in women and the second leading cause of death. Despite recent advances, the mortality rate of BC is still high, highlighting a need to develop new treatment strategies including the modulation of the immune system and immunotherapies. In this regard, understanding the complex function of the involved immune cells and their crosstalk with tumor cells is of great importance. T-cells are recognized as the most important cells in the tumor microenvironment and are divided into several subtypes including helper, cytotoxic, and regulatory T-cells according to their transcription factors, markers, and functions. This article attempts to provide a comprehensive review of the role of T-cell subsets in the prognosis and treatment of patients with BC, and crosstalk between tumor cells and T-cells. The literature overwhelmingly contains controversial findings mainly due to the plasticity of T-cell subsets within the inflammatory conditions and the use of different panels for their phenotyping. However, investigating the role of T-cells in BC immunity depends on a variety of factors including tumor types or subtypes, the stage of the disease, the localization of the cells in the tumor tissue and the presence of different cells or cytokines.

GRN is a prognostic biomarker and correlated with immune infiltration in glioma: A study based on TCGA data

Background

Among primary brain tumors, gliomas are associated with a poor prognosis and a median survival that varies depending on the tumor grade and subtype. As the most malignant form of glioma, glioblastoma (GBM) constitutes a significant health concern. Alteration in granulin(GRN) has been proved to be accountable for several diseases. However, the relationship between GRN and GBM remains unclear. We evaluated the role of GRN in GBM through The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database

Methods

First, we assessed the relationship between GRN and GBM through the GEPIA database. Next, the relationship between GRN and GBM prognosis was analyzed by logistic regression and multivariate cox methods. Using CIBERSORT and the GEPIA correlation module, we also investigated the link between GRN and immune infiltrates in cancer. Using the TCGA data, a gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed. We also employed Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) to examine the data set of GRN expression and immune infiltration level in GBM and investigate the cumulative survival in GBM. We also validated tissues from GBM patients by Western blotting, RT-qPCR, and immunohistochemistry.

Results

Increased GRN expression was shown to have a significant relationship to tumor grade in a univariate study utilizing logistic regression. Furthermore, multivariate analysis disclosed that GRN expression down-regulation is an independent predictive factor for a favorable outcome. GRN expression level positively correlates with the number of CD4+ T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells (DCs) that infiltrate a GBM. The GSEA also found that the high GRN expression phenotype pathway was enriched for genes involved in immune response molecular mediator production, lymphocyte-mediated immunity, cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, leukocyte proliferation, cell chemotaxis, and CD4+ alpha beta T cell activation. Differentially enriched pathways in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) include lysosome, apoptosis, primary immunodeficiency, chemokine signaling pathway, natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and B cell receptor signaling pathway. Validated result showed that GRN was upregulated in GBM tissues. These results suggested that GRN was a potential indicator for the status of GBM.

Conclusion

GRN is a prognostic biomarker and correlated with immune infiltrates in GBM.

Opportunities for Nitric Oxide in Potentiating Cancer Immunotherapy

Despite nearly 30 years of development and recent highlights of nitric oxide (NO) donors and NO delivery systems in anticancer therapy, the limited understanding of exogenous NO's effects on the immune system has prevented their advancement into clinical use. In particular, the effects of exogenously delivered NO differing from that of endogenous NO has obscured how the potential and functions of NO in anticancer therapy may be estimated and exploited despite the accumulating evidence of NO's cancer therapy-potentiating effects on the immune system. After introducing their fundamentals and characteristics, this review discusses the current mechanistic understanding of NO donors and delivery systems in modulating the immunogenicity of cancer cells as well as the differentiation and functions of innate and adaptive immune cells. Lastly, the potential for the complex modulatory effects of NO with the immune system to be leveraged for therapeutic applications is discussed in the context of recent advancements in the implementation of NO delivery systems for anticancer immunotherapy applications. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Despite a 30-year history and recent highlights of nitric oxide (NO) donors and delivery systems as anticancer therapeutics, their clinical translation has been limited. Increasing evidence of the complex interactions between NO and the immune system has revealed both the potential and hurdles in their clinical translation. This review summarizes the effects of exogenous NO on cancer and immune cells in vitro and elaborates these effects in the context of recent reports exploiting NO delivery systems in vivo in cancer therapy applications.

Role of Immune Cells and Receptors in Cancer Treatment: An Immunotherapeutic Approach

Cancer immunotherapy moderates the immune system’s ability to fight cancer. Due to its extreme complexity, scientists are working to put together all the puzzle pieces to get a clearer picture of the immune system. Shreds of available evidence show the connection between cancer and the immune system. Immune responses to tumors and lymphoid malignancies are influenced by B cells, γδT cells, NK cells, and dendritic cells (DCs). Cancer immunotherapy, which encompasses adoptive cancer therapy, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), immune checkpoint therapy, and CART cells, has revolutionized contemporary cancer treatment. This article reviews recent developments in immune cell regulation and cancer immunotherapy. Various options are available to treat many diseases, particularly cancer, due to the progress in various immunotherapies, such as monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, vaccinations (both preventative and curative), cellular immunotherapies, and cytokines.

CNPY4 is a potential promising prognostic-related biomarker and correlated with immune infiltrates in gliomas

Glioblastomas are classified into primary and secondary; primary glioblastomas develop rapidly and aggressively, whereas secondary glioblastomas are more common in grade II and III gliomas. Here, we aimed to demonstrate the role of the CNPY4 gene as a potential biomarker in immune infiltration in gliomas. Based on gene expression profile interaction analysis (GEPIA), we studied the survival model of CNPY4 and evaluated its effect on patients with glioma. The glioma dataset was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between clinical data and CNPY4 expression. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional-hazards models were used to compare clinical features and patient survival. The relationship between CNPY4 and immune infiltration in glioma was studied using GEPIA and CIBERSORT online tools. TCGA data were analyzed using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Finally, TIMER was used to analyze the expression and immune infiltration of CNPY4 in glioma to study the cumulative survival rate. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that increased CNPY4 expression was associated with tumor age, grade, IDH status, and 1p/19q codeletion. Multivariate analysis showed that that downregulation of CNPY4 expression was an independent and satisfactory prognostic factor. CNPY4 expression was correlated with the infiltration level of dendritic cells in glioblastoma. In contrast, in low-grade gliomas, the infiltration level of B cells, dendritic cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and CD4+ T cells was significantly correlated with CNPY4 expression. The GSEA results showed that CNPY4 played an immunoregulatory role in immune-related phenotypic pathways between lymphoid and nonlymphoid cells. The intestinal immune networks for IgA production, rabbit thyroid disease, primary immunodeficiencies, and cancer immunotherapy were enriched by PD-1 blockade. High CNPY4 expression is a biomarker of glioma prognosis and is associated with the immune invasion of glioma.

Identification of a pyroptosis-related prognosis gene signature and its relationship with an immune microenvironment in gliomas

BACKGROUND

Glioma is the most common type of primary brain cancer, and the prognosis of most patients with glioma is poor. Pyroptosis is a newly discovered inflammatory programmed cell death. However, the expression of pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) in glioma and its correlation with prognosis are unclear.

METHODS

27 pyroptosis genes differentially expressed between glioma and adjacent normal tissues were identified. All glioma cases could be stratified into 2 subtypes based on these differentially expressed PRGs. The prognostic value of each PRG was evaluated to construct a prognostic model.

RESULTS

A novel 16-gene signature was constructed by using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression method. Then, patients with glioma were divided into low- and high-risk groups in the TCGA cohort. The survival rate of patients in the low-risk group was significantly higher than that in the high-risk group (P = .001). Patients with glioma from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) cohort were stratified into 2 risk groups by using the median risk score. The overall survival (OS) of the low-risk group was longer than that of the high-risk group (P = .001). The risk score was considered an independent prognostic factor of the OS of patients with glioma. Gene ontology and Kyoto Encylopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed that the differentially expressed PRGs were mainly related to neutrophil activation involved in immune responses, focal adhesion, cell cycle, and p53 signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

PRGs could predict the prognosis of glioma and play significant roles in a tumor immune microenvironment.

Structural characterization of a water-soluble polysaccharide from Angelica dahurica and its antitumor activity in H22 tumor-bearing mice

A novel Angelica dahurica polysaccharide (ADP) with Mw of 6.09 × 10³ Da was isolated. The contents of total sugar and uronic acid in ADP were 91.04% and 12.69%. The structure characteristics indicated that ADP was an acidic polysaccharide consisting of rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, glucose, mannose, glucuronic acid and galacturonic acid (0.09: 0.61: 1.88: 1: 0.14: 0.63: 0.03). Moreover, there were →3)-Manp-(1→, →4, 6)-Galp-(1→, →4)-Galp-(1→, →3)-Glcp-(1→, →5)-Araf-(1→, →2)-Galp-(1→ in ADP with relative molar ratios of 0.32:0.57:0.29:0.95:0.71:0.26. In vivo experiments suggested that ADP significantly inhibited the tumor growth of mice, increased the activities of spleen lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells, improved the cytokine level (IL-2 and TNF-α) and the proportions of lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood. The tumor cell progression was arrested in the G₁ phase, and the apoptosis rate of tumor cells were 7.54% and 19.32% at the dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg, which was consistent with the results of pathological observation. In summary, the study might provide a theoretical basis for the application on functional foods containing Angelica dahurica polysaccharides.

In silico analysis identifies neuropilin-1 as a potential therapeutic target for SARS-Cov-2 infected lung cancer patients

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and is highly contagious and pathogenic. TMPRSS2 and Neuropilin-1, the key components that facilitate SARS-CoV-2 infection, are potential targets for treatment of COVID-19. Here we performed a comprehensive analysis on NRP1 and TMPRSS2 in lung to provide information for treating comorbidity of COVID-19 with lung cancer. NRP1 is widely expressed across all the human tissues while TMPRSS2 is expressed in a restricted pattern. High level of NRP1 associates with worse prognosis in multiple cancers, while high level of TMPRSS2 is associated with better survival of Lung Adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Moreover, NRP1 positively correlates with the oncogenic Cancer Associated Fibroblast (CAF), macrophage and endothelial cells infiltration, negatively correlates with infiltration of CD8⁺ T cell, the tumor killer cell in Lung Squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). TMPRSS2 shows negative correlation with the oncogenic events in LUAD. RNA-seq data show that NRP1 level is slightly decreased in peripheral blood of ICU admitted COVID-19 patients, unaltered in lung, while TMPRSS2 level is significantly decreased in lung of COVID-19 patients. Our analysis suggests NRP1 as a potential therapeutic target, while sets an alert on targeting TMPRSS2 for treating comorbidity of COVID-19 and lung cancers.

Cytokine-Coding Oncolytic Adenovirus TILT-123 Is Safe, Selective, and Effective as a Single Agent and in Combination with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Anti-PD-1

Oncolytic viruses provide a biologically multi-faceted treatment option for patients who cannot be cured with currently available treatment options. We constructed an oncolytic adenovirus, TILT-123, to support T-cell therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors in solid tumors. Adenoviruses are immunogenic by nature, are easy to produce in large quantities, and can carry relatively large transgenes. They are the most commonly used gene therapy vectors and are well tolerated in patients. TILT-123 expresses two potent cytokines, tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-2, to stimulate especially the T-cell compartment in the tumor microenvironment. Before entering clinical studies, the safety and biodistribution of TILT-123 was studied in Syrian hamsters and in mice. The results show that TILT-123 is safe in animals as monotherapy and in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD-1. The virus treatment induces acute changes in circulating immune cell compartments, but the levels return to normal by the middle of the treatment period. The virus is rapidly cleared from healthy tissues, and it does not cause damage to vital organs. The results support the initiation of a phase 1 dose-escalation trial, where melanoma patients receiving a tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy are treated with TILT-123 (NCT04217473).

Immune landscape and prognostic immune-related genes in KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer patients

Background

KRAS gene is the most common type of mutation reported in colorectal cancer (CRC). KRAS mutation-mediated regulation of immunophenotype and immune pathways in CRC remains to be elucidated.

Methods

535 CRC patients were used to compare the expression of immune-related genes (IRGs) and the abundance of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) in the tumor microenvironment between KRAS-mutant and KRAS wild-type CRC patients. An independent dataset included 566 cases of CRC and an in-house RNA sequencing dataset were served as validation sets. An in-house dataset consisting of 335 CRC patients were used to analyze systemic immune and inflammatory state in the presence of KRAS mutation. An immue risk (Imm-R) model consist of IRG and TIICs for prognostic prediction in KRAS-mutant CRC patients was established and validated.

Results

NF-κB and T-cell receptor signaling pathways were significantly inhibited in KRAS-mutant CRC patients. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) was increased while macrophage M1 and activated CD4 memory T cell was decreased in KRAS-mutant CRC. Prognosis correlated with enhanced Tregs, macrophage M1 and activated CD4 memory T cell and was validated. Serum levels of hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), CRP, and IgM were significantly decreased in KRAS-mutant compared to KRAS wild-type CRC patients. An immune risk model composed of VGF, RLN3, CT45A1 and TIICs signature classified CRC patients with distinct clinical outcomes.

Conclusions

KRAS mutation in CRC was associated with suppressed immune pathways and immune infiltration. The aberrant immune pathways and immune cells help to understand the tumor immune microenvironments in KRAS-mutant CRC patients.

Development of a prognostic model of glioma based on immune-related genes

Glioma is the most common type of primary brain cancer, and the prognosis of most patients with glioma, and particularly that of patients with glioblastoma, is poor. Tumor immunity serves an important role in the development of glioma. However, immunotherapy for glioma has not been completely successful, and thus, comprehensive examination of the immune-related genes (IRGs) of glioma is required. In the present study, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed IRGs (DEIRGs) were identified using the edgeR package. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis was used for functional enrichment analysis of DEIRGs. Survival-associated IRGs were selected via univariate Cox regression analysis. A The Cancer Genome Atlas prognostic model and GSE43378 validation model were established using lasso-penalized Cox regression analysis. Based on the median risk score value, patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups for clinical analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curve and nomogram analyses were used to assess the accuracy of the models. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was performed to measure the expression levels of relevant genes, such as cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4), interleukin 24 (IL24), NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) and baculoviral IAP repeat containing 5 (BIRC5). A total of 3,238 DEGs, including 1,950 upregulated and 1,288 downregulated DEGs, and 97 DEIRGs, including 60 upregulated and 37 downregulated DEIRGs, were identified. ‘Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction’ and ‘Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction’ were the most significantly enriched pathways according to KEGG pathway analysis. A prognostic model and a validation prognostic model were created for glioma, including 15 survival-associated IRGs (FCER1G, NOX4, TRIM5, SOCS1, APOBEC3C, BIRC5, VIM, TNC, BMP2, CMTM3, IL24, JAG1, CALCRL, HNF4G and CDK4). Furthermore, multivariate Cox regression analysis results suggested that age, high WHO Grade by histopathology, wild type isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and high risk score were independently associated with poor overall survival. The infiltration of B cells, CD8⁺ T cells, dendritic cells, macrophages and neutrophils was positively associated with the prognostic risk score. In the present study, several clinically significant survival-associated IRGs were identified, and a prognosis evaluation model of glioma was established.

Secretory IgA in Intestinal Mucosal Secretions as an Adaptive Barrier against Microbial Cells

Secretory IgA (SIgA) is the dominant antibody class in mucosal secretions. The majority of plasma cells producing IgA are located within mucosal membranes lining the intestines. SIgA protects against the adhesion of pathogens and their penetration into the intestinal barrier. Moreover, SIgA regulates gut microbiota composition and provides intestinal homeostasis. In this review, we present mechanisms of SIgA generation: T cell-dependent and -independent; in different non-organized and organized lymphoid structures in intestinal lamina propria (i.e., Peyer’s patches and isolated lymphoid follicles). We also summarize recent advances in understanding of SIgA functions in intestinal mucosal secretions with focus on its role in regulating gut microbiota composition and generation of tolerogenic responses toward its members.

A novel BAFF antagonist, BAFF-Trap, effectively alleviates the disease progression of systemic lupus erythematosus in MRL/lpr mice

Abnormal B cells, which produce antibodies against self-antigens, play a key role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). B-cell activating factor (BAFF) is closely associated with abnormal B cells and participates in B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases; thus, neutralizing BAFF is an effective method for treating these diseases. Our group designed a novel fusion protein, BAFF-Trap, that contains the BAFF-binding domains of two BAFF receptors (TACI and BAFF-R) and the Fc domain of human IgG1. In this study, we showed that BAFF-Trap significantly decreased the autoantibody levels, BAFF concentrations and B cells numbers in MRL/lpr mice. BAFF-Trap suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the kidney and decreased the frequencies of T cell subsets and dendritic cells. Furthermore, BAFF-Trap reduced proteinuria and IgG deposition, relieved glomerular damage in the kidney, and markedly improved the survival rate of mice. These results indicated that BAFF-Trap may be a potential drug for the treatment of SLE.

The structural characteristics of an acid-soluble polysaccharide from Grifola frondosa and its antitumor effects on H22-bearing mice

The edible mushroom G. frondosa has been used as a kind of functional food for the prevention and therapy of various diseases in Asian countries. In the present work, a novel acid-soluble polysaccharide (GFAP) was successfully isolated from G. frondosa under room temperature and hydrochloric acid solution treatment. Results of chemical composition analysis, UV and HPGPC spectra showed that GFAP mainly contained 94.28% of carbohydrate with the average molecular weight of about 644.9 kDa. GC, FT-IR, NMR and methylation analysis further indicated that GFAP was a neutral sugar mainly composed of (1 → 3)-β-D-Glcp and (1 → 3)-α-D-Manp. The in vivo antitumor experiments demonstrated that GFAP could effectively protect thymuses and spleens of tumor-bearing mice and inhibit the growth of H22 solid tumors with the inhibitory rate of 36.72%. Besides, GFAP could significantly improve the activities of NK cells, macrophages, CD19+ B cells and CD4+ T cells, leading to the apoptosis of H22 cells via G0/G1 phase arrested. Our data demonstrated that GFAP holds great application prospect to be a safe and effective antitumor adjuvant in the future.

SYT16 is a prognostic biomarker and correlated with immune infiltrates in glioma: A study based on TCGA data

BACKGROUND

Glioma is the most lethal primary brain tumor. Lower-grade glioma (LGG) is the crucial pathological type of Glioma. Immune-infiltration of the tumor microenvironment positively associated with overall survival in LGG. SYT16 is a gene has not been reported in cancer. We assess the role of SYT16 in LGG, via the publicly available TCGA database.

METHODS

Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) was used to analyze the expression of SYT16 in LGG. We evaluated the influence of SYT16 on survival of LGG patients by survival module. Then, datasets of LGG were downloaded from TCGA. The correlations between the clinical information and SYT16 expression were analyzed using logistic regression. Univariable survival and Multivariate Cox analysis was used to compare several clinical characteristics with survival. we also explore the correlation between SYT16 and cancer immune infiltrates using CIBERSORT and correlation module of GEPIA. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed using the TCGA dataset. In addition, we use TIMER to explore the collection of SYT16 Expression and Immune Infiltration Level in LGG and to explore cumulative survival in LGG.

RESULTS

The univariate analysis using logistic regression, indicated that increased SYT16 expression significantly correlated with the tumor grade. Moreover, multivariate analysis revealed that the up-regulated SYT16 expression is an independent prognostic factor for good prognosis. Specifically, SYT16 expression level has significant negative correlations with infiltrating levels of B cell, CD4+ T cells, Macrophages, Neutrophils and DCs in LGG. In addition, GSEA identified ingle organism behavior, gated channel activity, cognition, transporter complex and ligand gated channel activity  in Gene Ontology (GO) were differentially enriched in the high SYT16 expression phenotype pathway. Neuroactive ligand receptor interaction, calcium signaling pathway, long term potentiation, type II diabetes mellitus and long term depression were identified as differentially enriched  pathway in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG).

CONCLUSION

SYT16 is a Prognostic Biomarker and Correlated with Immune Infiltrates in LGG.

The Underappreciated Role of the Humoral Immune System and B Cells in Tumorigenesis and Cancer Therapeutics: A Review

The advent of immunotherapy has ushered in a new era in both cancer research and cancer treatment strategies. Published reviews have described potential mechanisms for therapeutic synergisms from the combination of radiation therapy and immunotherapy, largely overlooking the role of humoral immunity by only focusing on cellular immunity. Given that these 2 branches of the immune system are highly interdependent, in this review we detail both what has already been established regarding the role of humoral immunity in cancer and propose potential avenues that are ripe for further investigation and potential clinical applications.

Antitumor effects of immunity-enhancing traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been traditionally used to treat patients with cancers in China. It not only alleviates the symptoms of tumor patients and improves their quality of life, but also controls the size of tumors and prolongs the survival of tumor patients. While some herbs of TCM may exert therapeutic effects by directly targeting cancer cells or reducing side effects caused by antitumor drugs, others can control tumor growth and metastasis via enhancing antitumor immunity. In particular, TCM can exert antitumor effects by upregulating immune responses even in immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. For instance, it reduces the number of M2-type macrophages and Treg cells in the tumor tissue. Although extensive reviews on directly killing cancer cells by TCM have been conducted, a review of anticancer activity of TCM solely based on its immunity-enhancing capacity is unusual. This review will summarize research progress of antitumor TCM that regulates the immune system, including both innate immunity, such as macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells and MDSCs, and adaptive immunity, including CD4⁺/CD8⁺ T lymphocytes, regulatory T cells (Tregs) and B cells. As cancer immunotherapy has recently achieved certain success, it is expected that the clinical applications of immunity-enhancing TCM or traditional medicine for treating various cancer patients will be expanded. Further studies on the mechanisms by which TCM regulates immunity will provide new insights into how TCM controls tumor growth and metastasis, and may help improve its therapeutic effects on various cancers in clinic.

Double-edge Role of B Cells in Tumor Immunity: Potential Molecular Mechanism

B cells are a heterogeneous population, which have distinct functions of antigen presentation, activating T cells, and secreting antibodies, cytokines as well as protease. It is supposed that the balance among these B cells subpopulation (resting B cells, activated B cells, Bregs, and other differentiated B cells) will determine the ultimate role of B cells in tumor immunity. There has been increasing evidence supporting opposite roles of B cells in tumor immunity, though there are no general acceptable phenotypes for them. Recent years, a new designated subset of B cells identified as Bregs has emerged from immunosuppressive and/or regulatory functions in tumor immune responses. Therefore, transferring activated B cells would be possible to become a promising strategy against tumor via conquering the immunosuppressive status of B cells in future. Understanding the potential mechanism of double-edge role of B cells will help researchers utilize activated B cells to improve their anti-tumor response. Moreover, the molecular pathways related to B cell differentiation are involved in its tumor-promoting effect, such as NF-κB, STAT3, BTK. So, we review the molecular and signaling pathway mechanisms of B cells involved in both tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressive immunity, in order to help researchers optimize B cells to fight cancer better.

Chromosome 3q arm gain linked to immunotherapy response in advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

AIMS

The activity that the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) cemiplimab has recently demonstrated has led to a paradigm shift in the management of patients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). To identify predictive biomarkers of response to ICIs in advanced cSCC, we studied 33 patients who received ICI therapy at the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) and analysed sequencing data for a subset of these patients.

METHODS

We collected clinical data using electronic health records and genomic data using the institutional OncoPanel platform of the DF/HCC. We compared tumour genomics with data from previously sequenced cSCC cohorts.

RESULTS

We observed high tumour mutational burden regardless of smoking status and response to ICI and longer median overall survival among those patients who achieved an ICI response. We compared the genetic data from our cohort with data from other cohorts that included fewer patients with distant metastatic disease. Although our cohort had a similar genetic landscape to those of comparator cohorts, mutations in PIK3C2B were more common in our study. In our cohort, copy number alterations (CNAs) in the 3q chromosomal arm appeared to predict response to ICI therapy.

CONCLUSION

CNAs in the 21-27 bands of chromosome arm 3q, a region that includes PIK3CA, ETV5 and BCL6, may represent predictors of response to ICI and may be candidates for drug targeting in combination or sequence with ICI agents.

Alcohol-soluble polysaccharide from Astragalus membranaceus: Preparation, characteristics and antitumor activity

The alcohol-soluble polysaccharide (ASP) was extracted from Astragalus membranaceus, and their preliminary structural characteristics and in vivo antitumor activity were investigated in this study. The contents of total sugar, protein and uronic acid in ASP was 92.04%, 0.51% and 1.42%, respectively. FTIR and IC results indicated that ASP (about 2.1 × 10³ Da) was a neutral polysaccharide composed of arabinose, galactose, glucose and mannose (molar ratio: 1.00:0.98:3.01:1.52) with pyranose ring and α-type glycosidic linkages. Besides, ASP could significantly inhibit the growth of H22 heptoma cells in vivo via improving the levels of serum cytokines (TNF-α, IL-2 and IFN-γ) and activities of immune cells (macrophages, lymphocytes and NK cells), thereby inducing tumor cell apoptosis and attenuating their accessional damages. These results suggested that ASP may serve as a novel potential antitumor agent in the future.

A novel MDSC-induced PD-1-PD-L1+ B-cell subset in breast tumor microenvironment possesses immuno-suppressive properties

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous group of myeloid cells that suppress T-cell activity in a tumor microenvironment. However, the suppressive function of MDSCs on B cells and its underlying mechanism remain unclear. Here, we show that in 4T1 breast cancer mice, a significantly increased number of MDSCs, in parallel with splenic B cells, are accumulated when compared to normal mice. In the presence of MDSCs, the surface molecules of B cells are remolded, with checkpoint-related molecules such as PD-1 and PD-L1 changing prominently. MDSCs also emerge as vital regulators in B-cell immune functions such as proliferation, apoptosis and the abilities to secrete antibodies and cytokines. Our study further identifies that MDSCs can transform normal B cells to a subtype of immuno- regulatory B cells (Bregs) which inhibit T-cell response. Furthermore, we identified a novel kind of Bregs with a specific phenotype PD-1^-PD-L1⁺CD19⁺, which exert the greatest suppressive effects on T cells in comparison with the previously reported Bregs characterized as CD1d⁺CD5⁺CD19⁺, CD5⁺CD19⁺ and Interleukin (IL)-10-secreting B cells. Our results highlight that MDSCs regulate B-cell response and may serve as a therapeutic approach in anti-tumor treatment. Investigation of this new Breg subtype extends our understanding of regulation of T-cell response and sheds new light on anti-tumor immunity and immune therapy.

Significance of B10 cell in patients with thymoma complicated with myasthenia gravis

A subset of regulatory B cells in humans has been identified as B10 cell which has the function of secreting interleukin-10. We evaluated the significance of B10 cell in patients with thymoma complicated with myasthenia gravis. In this study, 156 patients diagnosed with thymoma were enrolled, FCM was used to detected the percentage of Breg/CD19⁺B cells and CD19⁺B cells/PBMC, ELISA to evaluate the serum concentration of the relevant immunological markers; purified CD19⁺B cells in tissues by MACS; gene and protein expressions of CD19 and IL-10 by Real-time PCR and Western-Blot; double immunofluorescence staining to detect the distribution of CD19 and IL-10 in thymus tissues. Thymoma patients without MG mainly display the types A and AB of thymoma, whereas the thymoma patients with MG mainly display type B (B1, B2 and B3) thymoma; AChR-Ab in Tm + MG group was the highest, with the progress of the disease, the percentage of Breg/CD19⁺B cells increased and B10/CD19⁺B cells decreased (p < 0.05); ROC curve showed that B10 had the greatest significance for the clinical directivity of Tm+MG and cut-off point = 0.55%; in accordance with the Con, Tm and Tm+MG group, the content of CD19⁺IL-10⁺B10 cells increased gradually (p < 0.05); meanwhile, the gene and protein expression levels of CD19 and IL-10 gradually increased in the same way. It is concluded that with the progress of thymoma, the infiltration of Breg in tumour tissue increases; however, as the severity of MG increases, the function of Breg (B10 cell) in peripheral blood decreases and the cut-off point is 0.55%.