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Qian W, Zhou J, Shou S. Exploration of m 6A methylation regulators as epigenetic targets for immunotherapy in advanced sepsis. BMC Bioinformatics 2023; 24:257. [PMID: 37330481 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-023-05379-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study aims to deeply explore the relationship between m6A methylation modification and peripheral immune cells in patients with advanced sepsis and mine potential epigenetic therapeutic targets by analyzing the differential expression patterns of m6A-related genes in healthy subjects and advanced sepsis patients. METHODS A single cell expression dataset of peripheral immune cells containing blood samples from 4 patients with advanced sepsis and 5 healthy subjects was obtained from the gene expression comprehensive database (GSE175453). Differential expression analysis and cluster analysis were performed on 21 m6A-related genes. The characteristic gene was identified based on random forest algorithm, and the correlation between the characteristic gene METTL16 and 23 immune cells in patients with advanced sepsis was evaluated using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis. RESULTS IGFBP1, IGFBP2, IGF2BP1, and WTAP were highly expressed in patients with advanced sepsis and m6A cluster B. IGFBP1, IGFBP2, and IGF2BP1 were positively correlated with Th17 helper T cells. The characteristic gene METTL16 exhibited a significant positive correlation with the proportion of various immune cells. CONCLUSION IGFBP1, IGFBP2, IGF2BP1, WTAP, and METTL16 may accelerate the development of advanced sepsis by regulating m6A methylation modification and promoting immune cell infiltration. The discovery of these characteristic genes related to advanced sepsis provides potential therapeutic targets for the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Qian
- Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300203, China
- Department of Emergency, Shangjin Nanfu Hospital, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610044, Sichuan, China
| | - Jian Zhou
- Department of Immunology, International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Songtao Shou
- Department of Emergency, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, 154 Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin, 300052, China.
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Xu N, Yu Y, Duan C, Wei J, Sun W, Jiang C, Jian B, Cao W, Jia L, Ma X. Quantitative proteomics identifies and validates urinary biomarkers of rhabdomyosarcoma in children. Clin Proteomics 2023; 20:10. [PMID: 36918772 PMCID: PMC10012572 DOI: 10.1186/s12014-023-09401-4] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma with poor prognosis in children. The 5-year survival rate for early RMS has improved, whereas it remains unsatisfactory for advanced patients. Urine can rapidly reflect changes in the body and identify low-abundance proteins. Early screening of tumor markers through urine in RMS allows for earlier treatment, which is associated with better outcomes. METHODS RMS patients under 18 years old, including those newly diagnosed and after surgery, were enrolled. Urine samples were collected at the time points of admission and after four cycles of chemotherapy during follow-up. Then, a two-stage workflow was established. (1) In the discovery stage, differential proteins (DPs) were initially identified in 43 RMS patients and 12 healthy controls (HCs) using a data-independent acquisition method. (2) In the verification stage, DPs were further verified as biomarkers in 54 RMS patients and 25 HCs using parallel reaction monitoring analysis. Furthermore, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to construct the protein panels for the diagnosis of RMS. Gene Ontology (GO) and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software were used to perform bioinformatics analysis. RESULTS A total of 251 proteins were significantly altered in the discovery stage, most of which were enriched in the head, neck and urogenital tract, consistent with the most common sites of RMS. The most overrepresented biological processes from GO analysis included immunity, inflammation, tumor invasion and neuronal damage. Pathways engaging the identified proteins revealed 33 common pathways, including WNT/β-catenin signaling and PI3K/AKT signaling. Finally, 39 proteins were confirmed as urinary biomarkers for RMS, and a diagnostic panel composed of 5 candidate proteins (EPS8L2, SPARC, HLA-DRB1, ACAN, and CILP) was constructed for the early screening of RMS (AUC: 0.79, 95%CI = 0.66 ~ 0.92). CONCLUSIONS These findings provide novel biomarkers in urine that are easy to translate into clinical diagnosis of RMS and illustrate the value of global and targeted urine proteomics to identify and qualify candidate biomarkers for noninvasive molecular diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Xu
- Medical Oncology Department, Pediatric Oncology Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Ministry of Education, No. 56 Nalishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China.,Department of Pediatrics, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuncui Yu
- Clinical Research Center, Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, No. 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Chao Duan
- Medical Oncology Department, Pediatric Oncology Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Ministry of Education, No. 56 Nalishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Jing Wei
- Clinical Research Center, Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, No. 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Wei Sun
- Proteomics Research Center, Core Facility of Instruments, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chiyi Jiang
- Medical Oncology Department, Pediatric Oncology Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Ministry of Education, No. 56 Nalishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Binglin Jian
- Medical Oncology Department, Pediatric Oncology Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Ministry of Education, No. 56 Nalishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Wang Cao
- Clinical Research Center, Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, No. 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Lulu Jia
- Clinical Research Center, Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, No. 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China.
| | - Xiaoli Ma
- Medical Oncology Department, Pediatric Oncology Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Ministry of Education, No. 56 Nalishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China.
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Soloperto D, Gazzini S, Cerullo R. Molecular Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis in Pediatric Airways Tumors. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032195. [PMID: 36768522 PMCID: PMC9916405 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032195] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary tumors of the airways in the pediatric population are very rare entities. For this reason, little is known about the pathogenesis of these neoplasms. Understanding the biology has different practical implications: for example, it could help in the differential diagnosis, have a prognostic significance, or may lead to the development of a targeted therapy. The aim of this article is to present the current knowledge about pediatric airways tumors, focusing on the molecular mechanisms that cause the onset and progression of these neoplasms. After a brief introduction of epidemiology and clinical presentation, the tumorigenesis of the most frequent pediatric airways tumors will be described: Juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JORRP), Subglottic Hemangiona (SH), Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), and Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC).
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4
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Maimaiti A, Turhon M, Cheng X, Su R, Kadeer K, Axier A, Ailaiti D, Aili Y, Abudusalamu R, Kuerban A, Wang Z, Aisha M. m6A regulator–mediated RNA methylation modification patterns and immune microenvironment infiltration characterization in patients with intracranial aneurysms. Front Neurol 2022; 13:889141. [PMID: 35989938 PMCID: PMC9389407 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.889141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundThe role of epigenetic modulation in immunity is receiving increased recognition—particularly in the context of RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications. Nevertheless, it is still uncertain whether m6A methylation plays a role in the onset and progression of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). This study aimed to establish the function of m6A RNA methylation in IA, as well as its correlation with the immunological microenvironment.MethodsOur study included a total of 97 samples (64 IA, 33 normal) in the training set and 60 samples (44 IA, 16 normal) in the validation set to systematically assess the pattern of RNA modifications mediated by 22 m6A regulators. The effects of m6A modifications on immune microenvironment features, i.e., immune response gene sets, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes, and infiltrating immune cells were explored. We employed Lasso, machine learning, and logistic regression for the purpose of identifying an m6A regulator gene signature of IA with external data validation. For the unsupervised clustering analysis of m6A modification patterns in IA, consensus clustering methods were employed. Enrichment analysis was used to assess immune response activity along with other functional pathways. The identification of m6A methylation markers was identified based on a protein–protein interaction network and weighted gene co-expression network analysis.ResultsWe identified an m6A regulator signature of IGFBP2, IGFBP1, IGF2BP2, YTHDF3, ALKBH5, RBM15B, LRPPRC, and ELAVL1, which could easily distinguish individuals with IA from healthy individuals. Unsupervised clustering revealed three m6A modification patterns. Gene enrichment analysis illustrated that the tight junction, p53 pathway, and NOTCH signaling pathway varied significantly in m6A modifier patterns. In addition, the three m6A modification patterns showed significant differences in m6A regulator expression, immune microenvironment, and bio-functional pathways. Furthermore, macrophages, activated T cells, and other immune cells were strongly correlated with m6A regulators. Eight m6A indicators were discovered—each with a statistically significant correlation with IA—suggesting their potential as prognostic biological markers.ConclusionOur study demonstrates that m6A RNA methylation and the immunological microenvironment are both intricately correlated with the onset and progression of IA. The novel insight into patterns of m6A modification offers a foundation for the development of innovative treatment approaches for IA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aierpati Maimaiti
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Mirzat Turhon
- Department of Neurointerventional Surgery, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Department of Neurointerventional Surgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaojiang Cheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Riqing Su
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Kaheerman Kadeer
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Aximujiang Axier
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Dilimulati Ailaiti
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Yirizhati Aili
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Rena Abudusalamu
- Department of Neurology, Neurology Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Ajimu Kuerban
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First People's Hospital of Kashgar Prefecture, Kashgar, China
| | - Zengliang Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
- Zengliang Wang
| | - Maimaitili Aisha
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
- *Correspondence: Maimaitili Aisha
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Hettmer S, Linardic CM, Kelsey A, Rudzinski ER, Vokuhl C, Selfe J, Ruhen O, Shern JF, Khan J, Kovach AR, Lupo PJ, Gatz SA, Schäfer BW, Volchenboum S, Minard-Colin V, Koscielniak E, Hawkins DS, Bisogno G, Sparber-Sauer M, Venkatramani R, Merks JHM, Shipley J. Molecular testing of rhabdomyosarcoma in clinical trials to improve risk stratification and outcome: A consensus view from European paediatric Soft tissue sarcoma Study Group, Children's Oncology Group and Cooperative Weichteilsarkom-Studiengruppe. Eur J Cancer 2022; 172:367-386. [PMID: 35839732 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.05.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcomas (RMSs) are the most common soft tissue sarcomas in children/adolescents less than 18 years of age with an annual incidence of 1-2/million. Inter/intra-tumour heterogeneity raise challenges in clinical, pathological and biological research studies. Risk stratification in European and North American clinical trials previously relied on clinico-pathological features, but now, incorporates PAX3/7-FOXO1-fusion gene status in the place of alveolar histology. International working groups propose a coordinated approach through the INternational Soft Tissue SaRcoma ConsorTium to evaluate the specific genetic abnormalities and generate and integrate molecular and clinical data related to patients with RMS across different trial settings. We review relevant data and present a consensus view on what molecular features should be assessed. In particular, we recommend the assessment of the MYOD1-LR122R mutation for risk escalation, as it has been associated with poor outcomes in spindle/sclerosing RMS and rare RMS with classic embryonal histopathology. The prospective analyses of rare fusion genes beyond PAX3/7-FOXO1 will generate new data linked to outcomes and assessment of TP53 mutations and CDK4 amplification may confirm their prognostic value. Pathogenic/likely pathogenic germline variants in TP53 and other cancer predisposition genes should also be assessed. DNA/RNA profiling of tumours at diagnosis/relapse and serial analyses of plasma samples is recommended where possible to validate potential molecular biomarkers, identify new biomarkers and assess how liquid biopsy analyses can have the greatest benefit. Together with the development of new molecularly-derived therapeutic strategies that we review, a synchronised international approach is expected to enhance progress towards improved treatment assignment, management and outcomes for patients with RMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Hettmer
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | - Corinne M Linardic
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology; Duke University of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Anna Kelsey
- Department of Paediatric Histopathology, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Erin R Rudzinski
- Section of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Laboratories, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Christian Vokuhl
- Section of Pediatric Pathology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Joanna Selfe
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology Team, Divisions of Molecular Pathology and Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Olivia Ruhen
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology Team, Divisions of Molecular Pathology and Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Jack F Shern
- Genetics Branch, Oncogenomics Section, Center for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Javed Khan
- Genetics Branch, Oncogenomics Section, Center for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Alexander R Kovach
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology; Duke University of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Philip J Lupo
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Susanne A Gatz
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit (CRCTU), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Beat W Schäfer
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Ewa Koscielniak
- Klinikum der Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart GKAöR, Olgahospital, Stuttgart Cancer Center, Zentrum für Kinder-, Jugend- und Frauenmedizin, Pädiatrie 5 (Pädiatrische Onkologie, Hämatologie, Immunologie), Stuttgart, Germany; Medizinische Fakultät, University of Tübingen, Germany
| | - Douglas S Hawkins
- Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Gianni Bisogno
- Hematology Oncology Division, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Monika Sparber-Sauer
- Klinikum der Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart GKAöR, Olgahospital, Stuttgart Cancer Center, Zentrum für Kinder-, Jugend- und Frauenmedizin, Pädiatrie 5 (Pädiatrische Onkologie, Hämatologie, Immunologie), Stuttgart, Germany; Medizinische Fakultät, University of Tübingen, Germany
| | - Rajkumar Venkatramani
- Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Janet Shipley
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology Team, Divisions of Molecular Pathology and Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.
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Poli E, Barbon V, Lucchetta S, Cattelan M, Santoro L, Zin A, Milano GM, Zanetti I, Bisogno G, Bonvini P. Immunoreactivity against fibroblast growth factor 8 in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma patients and its involvement in tumor aggressiveness. Oncoimmunology 2022; 11:2096349. [PMID: 35813575 PMCID: PMC9262361 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2022.2096349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is an aggressive pediatric soft tissue sarcoma characterized by a very poor prognosis when relapses occur after front-line therapy. Therefore, a major challenge for patients’ management remains the identification of markers associated with refractory and progressive disease. In this context, cancer autoantibodies are natural markers of disease onset and progression, useful to unveil novel therapeutic targets. Herein, we matched autoantibody profiling of alveolar RMS (ARMS) patients with genes under regulatory control of PAX3-FOXO1 transcription factor and revealed fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8) as a novel ARMS tumor antigen of diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic potential. We demonstrated that high levels of FGF8 autoantibodies distinguished ARMS patients from healthy subjects and represented an independent prognostic factor of better event-free survival. FGF8 was overexpressed in ARMS tumors compared to other types of pediatric soft tissue sarcomas, acting as a positive regulator of cell signaling. Indeed, FGF8 was capable of stimulating ARMS cells migration and expression of pro-angiogenic and metastasis-related factors, throughout MAPK signaling activation. Of note, FGF8 was found to increase in recurrent tumors, independently of PAX3-FOXO1 expression dynamics. Risk of recurrence correlated positively with FGF8 expression levels at diagnosis and reduced FGF8 autoantibodies titer, almost as if to suggest a failure of the immune response to control tumor growth in recurring patients. This study provides evidence about the crucial role of FGF8 in ARMS and the protective function of natural autoantibodies, giving new insights into ARMS biology and laying the foundations for the development of new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Poli
- Department of Woman’s and Children’s Health Hematology and Oncology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Vanessa Barbon
- Department of Woman’s and Children’s Health Hematology and Oncology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Silvia Lucchetta
- Department of Woman’s and Children’s Health Hematology and Oncology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Manuela Cattelan
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Luisa Santoro
- Department of Medicine, Surgical Pathology and Cytopathology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Angelica Zin
- Fondazione Città Della Speranza, Institute of Pediatric Research (IRP), Padua, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Maria Milano
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and of Cell and Gene Therapy, Scientific Institute for Research and Healthcare (IRCCS), Bambino Gesù Childrens’ Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Ilaria Zanetti
- Department of Woman’s and Children’s Health Hematology and Oncology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Gianni Bisogno
- Department of Woman’s and Children’s Health Hematology and Oncology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Paolo Bonvini
- Fondazione Città Della Speranza, Institute of Pediatric Research (IRP), Padua, Italy
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7
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Poli E, Cattelan M, Zanetti I, Scagnellato A, Giordano G, Zin A, Bisogno G, Bonvini P. Autoantibody profiling of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma patients unveils tumor-associated antigens with diagnostic and prognostic significance. Oncoimmunology 2021; 10:1954765. [PMID: 34367733 PMCID: PMC8312597 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2021.1954765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) is a highly aggressive subtype of childhood cancer for which efficacious treatments are needed. Immunotherapy represents a new therapeutic opportunity to pursue, but it requires the identification of worthwhile tumor antigens. Herein, we exploited the capacity of ARMS autoantibodies to recognize tumor self-antigens, probing human protein microarrays with plasma from ARMS patients and healthy subjects. We assessed the autoantibody response in ARMS, validated data with independent techniques, and estimated autoantibodies diagnostic and prognostic significance by receiver-operator characteristic curves (ROC), uni- and multivariate analysis. Of the 48 tumor antigens identified, General Transcription Factor II-I (GTF2i) and Protocadherin Gamma Subfamily C5 (PCDHGC5) were selected as candidate targets to validate tumor-restricted antigen expression and autoantibody reactivity through an independent technique and wider cohort of cases. GTF2i and PCDHGC5 overexpression was observed in tumor tissues compared to normal counterparts, and anti-GTF2i and -PCDHGC5 autoantibodies were found able to distinguish ARMS patients from healthy subjects as well as cases with different histology. Moreover, low levels of PCDHGC5 autoantibodies characterized patients with worse event-free survival and proved to be an independent negative prognostic factor. This approach provided the first comprehensive autoantibody profile of ARMS, gave novel insights into the immune response of this malignancy and paved the way toward novel potential antibody-based therapeutic applications suitable to improve the survival of ARMS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Poli
- Department of Woman's and Children's Health Hematology and Oncology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Manuela Cattelan
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Ilaria Zanetti
- Department of Woman's and Children's Health Hematology and Oncology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Angela Scagnellato
- Department of Woman's and Children's Health Hematology and Oncology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Giordano
- Department of Woman's and Children's Health Hematology and Oncology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.,Institute of Pediatric Research (IRP), Fondazione Città Della Speranza, Padua, Italy
| | - Angelica Zin
- Institute of Pediatric Research (IRP), Fondazione Città Della Speranza, Padua, Italy
| | - Gianni Bisogno
- Department of Woman's and Children's Health Hematology and Oncology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Paolo Bonvini
- Institute of Pediatric Research (IRP), Fondazione Città Della Speranza, Padua, Italy
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