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Cossu C, Di Lorenzo A, Fiorilla I, Todesco AM, Audrito V, Conti L. The Role of the Toll-like Receptor 2 and the cGAS-STING Pathways in Breast Cancer: Friends or Foes? Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:456. [PMID: 38203626 PMCID: PMC10778705 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer stands as a primary malignancy among women, ranking second in global cancer-related deaths. Despite treatment advancements, many patients progress to metastatic stages, posing a significant therapeutic challenge. Current therapies primarily target cancer cells, overlooking their intricate interactions with the tumor microenvironment (TME) that fuel progression and treatment resistance. Dysregulated innate immunity in breast cancer triggers chronic inflammation, fostering cancer development and therapy resistance. Innate immune pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) have emerged as crucial regulators of the immune response as well as of several immune-mediated or cancer cell-intrinsic mechanisms that either inhibit or promote tumor progression. In particular, several studies showed that the Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathways play a central role in breast cancer progression. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the role of TLR2 and STING in breast cancer, and we explore the potential to target these PRRs for drug development. This information will significantly impact the scientific discussion on the use of PRR agonists or inhibitors in cancer therapy, opening up new and promising avenues for breast cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Cossu
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences–Molecular Biotechnology Center “Guido Tarone”, University of Turin, Piazza Nizza 44, 10126 Turin, Italy; (C.C.); (A.D.L.)
| | - Antonino Di Lorenzo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences–Molecular Biotechnology Center “Guido Tarone”, University of Turin, Piazza Nizza 44, 10126 Turin, Italy; (C.C.); (A.D.L.)
| | - Irene Fiorilla
- Department of Science and Technological Innovation (DISIT), University of Eastern Piedmont, 15121 Alessandria, Italy; (I.F.); (A.M.T.); (V.A.)
| | - Alberto Maria Todesco
- Department of Science and Technological Innovation (DISIT), University of Eastern Piedmont, 15121 Alessandria, Italy; (I.F.); (A.M.T.); (V.A.)
| | - Valentina Audrito
- Department of Science and Technological Innovation (DISIT), University of Eastern Piedmont, 15121 Alessandria, Italy; (I.F.); (A.M.T.); (V.A.)
| | - Laura Conti
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences–Molecular Biotechnology Center “Guido Tarone”, University of Turin, Piazza Nizza 44, 10126 Turin, Italy; (C.C.); (A.D.L.)
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Li J, Li Y, Li F, Xu L. NK cell marker gene-based model shows good predictive ability in prognosis and response to immunotherapies in hepatocellular carcinoma. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7294. [PMID: 37147523 PMCID: PMC10163253 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34602-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of malignancy worldwide, and its progression is influenced by the immune microenvironment. Natural killer (NK) cells are essential in the anti-tumor response and have been linked to immunotherapies for cancers. Therefore, it is important to unify and validate the role of NK cell-related gene signatures in HCC. In this study, we used RNA-seq analysis on HCC samples from public databases. We applied the ConsensusClusterPlus tool to construct the consensus matrix and cluster the samples based on their NK cell-related expression profile data. We employed the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis to identify the hub genes. Additionally, we utilized the CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE web-based methods to perform immune-related evaluations. Our results showed that the NK cell-related gene-based classification divided HCC patients into three clusters. The C3 cluster was activated in immune activation signaling pathways and showed better prognosis and good clinical features. In contrast, the C1 cluster was remarkably enriched in cell cycle pathways. The stromal score, immune score, and ESTIMATE score in C3 were much higher than those in C2 and C1. Furthermore, we identified six hub genes: CDC20, HMOX1, S100A9, CFHR3, PCN1, and GZMA. The NK cell-related genes-based risk score subgroups demonstrated that a higher risk score subgroup showed poorer prognosis. In summary, our findings suggest that NK cell-related genes play an essential role in HCC prognosis prediction and have therapeutic potential in promoting NK cell antitumor immunity. The six identified hub genes may serve as useful biomarkers for novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 1 Jianshedong Road, Erqi District, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.
| | - Yi Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 1 Jianshedong Road, Erqi District, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Fulei Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 1 Jianshedong Road, Erqi District, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Lixia Xu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 1 Jianshedong Road, Erqi District, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
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Ontiveros-Padilla L, Batty CJ, Hendy DA, Pena ES, Roque JA, Stiepel RT, Carlock MA, Simpson SR, Ross TM, Abraham SN, Staats HF, Bachelder EM, Ainslie KM. Development of a broadly active influenza intranasal vaccine adjuvanted with self-assembled particles composed of mastoparan-7 and CpG. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1103765. [PMID: 37033992 PMCID: PMC10081679 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1103765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently licensed vaccine adjuvants offer limited mucosal immunity, which is needed to better combat respiratory infections such as influenza. Mast cells (MCs) are emerging as a target for a new class of mucosal vaccine adjuvants. Here, we developed and characterized a nanoparticulate adjuvant composed of an MC activator [mastoparan-7 (M7)] and a TLR ligand (CpG). This novel nanoparticle (NP) adjuvant was co-formulated with a computationally optimized broadly reactive antigen (COBRA) for hemagglutinin (HA), which is broadly reactive against influenza strains. M7 was combined at different ratios with CpG and tested for in vitro immune responses and cytotoxicity. We observed significantly higher cytokine production in dendritic cells and MCs with the lowest cytotoxicity at a charge-neutralizing ratio of nitrogen/phosphate = 1 for M7 and CpG. This combination formed spherical NPs approximately 200 nm in diameter with self-assembling capacity. Mice were vaccinated intranasally with COBRA HA and M7-CpG NPs in a prime-boost-boost schedule. Vaccinated mice had significantly higher antigen-specific antibody responses (IgG and IgA) in serum and mucosa compared with controls. Splenocytes from vaccinated mice had significantly increased cytokine production upon antigen recall and the presence of central and effector memory T cells in draining lymph nodes. Finally, co-immunization with NPs and COBRA HA induced influenza H3N2-specific HA inhibition antibody titers across multiple strains and partially protected mice from a challenge against an H3N2 virus. These results illustrate that the M7-CpG NP adjuvant combination can induce a protective immune response with a broadly reactive influenza antigen via mucosal vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Ontiveros-Padilla
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Cole J. Batty
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Dylan A. Hendy
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Erik S. Pena
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, NC State/UNC, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - John A. Roque
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Rebeca T. Stiepel
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Michael A. Carlock
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Port Saint, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Port St. Lucie, FL, United States
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Sean R. Simpson
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Ted M. Ross
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Port Saint, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Port St. Lucie, FL, United States
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Soman N. Abraham
- Departments of Pathology, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Herman F. Staats
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Duke Human Vaccines Institute, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Eric M. Bachelder
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Kristy M. Ainslie
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, NC State/UNC, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- *Correspondence: Kristy M. Ainslie,
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