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He H, Chen S, Fan Z, Dong Y, Wang Y, Li S, Sun X, Song Y, Yang J, Cao Q, Jiang J, Wang X, Wen W, Wang H. Multi-dimensional single-cell characterization revealed suppressive immune microenvironment in AFP-positive hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell Discov 2023; 9:60. [PMID: 37336873 PMCID: PMC10279759 DOI: 10.1038/s41421-023-00563-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [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: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-secreting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which accounts for ~75% of HCCs, is more aggressive with a worse prognosis than those without AFP production. The mechanism through which the interaction between tumors and the microenvironment leads to distinct phenotypes is not yet clear. Therefore, our study aims to identify the characteristic features and potential treatment targets of AFP-negative HCC (ANHC) and AFP-positive HCC (APHC). We utilized single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze 6 ANHC, 6 APHC, and 4 adjacent normal tissues. Integrated multi-omics analysis together with survival analysis were also performed. Further validation was conducted via cytometry time-of-flight on 30 HCCs and multiplex immunohistochemistry on additional 59 HCCs. Our data showed that the genes related to antigen processing and interferon-γ response were abundant in tumor cells of APHC. Meanwhile, APHC was associated with multifaceted immune distortion, including exhaustion of diverse T cell subpopulations, and the accumulation of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Notably, TAM-SPP1+ was highly enriched in APHC, as was its receptor CD44 on T cells and tumor cells. Targeting the Spp1-Cd44 axis restored T cell function in vitro and significantly reduced tumor burden when treated with either anti-Spp1 or anti-Cd44 antibody alone or in combination with anti-Pd-1 antibody in the mouse model. Furthermore, elevated IL6 and TGF-β1 signaling contributed to the enrichment of TAM-SPP1+ in APHC. In conclusion, this study uncovered a highly suppressive microenvironment in APHC and highlighted the role of TAM-SPP1+ in regulating the immune microenvironment, thereby revealing the SPP1-CD44 axis as a promising target for achieving a more favorable immune response in APHC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huisi He
- Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, National Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, China
- International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
| | - Shuzhen Chen
- Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, National Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, China
- International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
| | - Zhecai Fan
- Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, National Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, China
- International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
| | - Yaping Dong
- Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, National Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, China
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
| | - Shiyao Li
- Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, National Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, China
- International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaojuan Sun
- Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
| | - Yuting Song
- Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, National Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, China
- International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
| | - Jinxian Yang
- Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, National Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, China
- Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
| | - Qiqi Cao
- Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, National Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, China
- International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Jiang
- Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, National Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, China
- International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
| | - Xianming Wang
- Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, National Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, China
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen Wen
- Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, National Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, China.
- Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China.
| | - Hongyang Wang
- Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, National Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, China.
- International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China.
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud A. Younis
- Laboratory of Innovative Nanomedicine, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Hokkaido University Kita‐12, Nishi‐6, Kita‐ku Sapporo 060‐0812 Japan
- Faculty of Pharmacy Assiut University Assiut 71526 Egypt
| | - Ikramy A. Khalil
- Laboratory of Innovative Nanomedicine, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Hokkaido University Kita‐12, Nishi‐6, Kita‐ku Sapporo 060‐0812 Japan
- Faculty of Pharmacy Assiut University Assiut 71526 Egypt
| | - Hideyoshi Harashima
- Laboratory of Innovative Nanomedicine, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Hokkaido University Kita‐12, Nishi‐6, Kita‐ku Sapporo 060‐0812 Japan
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Gu J, Dong D, Long E, Tang S, Feng S, Li T, Wang L, Jiang X. Upregulated OCT3 has the potential to improve the survival of colorectal cancer patients treated with (m)FOLFOX6 adjuvant chemotherapy. Int J Colorectal Dis 2019; 34:2151-2159. [PMID: 31732877 DOI: 10.1007/s00384-019-03407-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate the influence of organic cation transporter 3 (OCT3) expression on the effect of the combination regimen of 5-fluorouracil, folinic acid and oxaliplatin ((m)FOLFOX6) in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. METHODS This is a retrospective study conducted at a single centre (Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, China). Patients with stage IIb-IV resectable CRC who were being postoperatively treated with (m)FOLFOX6 as a first-line adjuvant chemotherapy regimen for at least 5 cycles and had resected primary tumour samples available were eligible for the study. Patients who preoperatively received chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy or were treated with targeted drugs or other anticancer drugs were excluded from the study. Immunohistochemical staining and digital image analysis were used to assess OCT3 expression in tumour samples. According to OCT3 expression level, the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was used to divide the patients into two groups. Cox proportional risk regression was performed with the forward LR (forward stepwise regression based on maximum likelihood estimation) method using SPSS17.0 software. The primary endpoint was the 2-year progression-free survival. RESULTS In total, 57 patients were included between 2014 and 2016 according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria (22 had low OCT3 expression, and 35 had high OCT3 expression). The mean age was 55.7 (30-74) years, and 37 of the total patients were male. According to TNM stage, 5 patients had stage IV disease, 44 patients had stage III disease, and 8 patients had stage II disease. Through Cox regression analysis, we found that among patients receiving the (m)FOLFOX6 regimen, those with higher OCT3 expression had a higher two-year progression-free survival rate than those with lower OCT3 expression (P = 0.038). The hazard ratio of patients with high OCT3 expression compared with patients with low OCT3 expression was 0.247. Besides, it was found that the age of patients was negatively correlated with expression level of OCT3, which can explain why patients over 70 years do not benefit from oxaliplatin-containing chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS High OCT3 expression in CRC tissues may be a protective factor for CRC patients treated with (m)FOLFOX6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Gu
- Department of pharmacy, Affiliated hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou, 563003, China
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 3, section 17, Renmin South Road, Wuhou District, Chengdu City, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Dandan Dong
- Department of Pathology, Sichuan academy of medical sciences, Sichuan province people's hospital, Sichuan, 610072, China
| | - Enwu Long
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 3, section 17, Renmin South Road, Wuhou District, Chengdu City, 610041, Sichuan, China
- Department of pharmacy, Sichuan academy of medical sciences, Sichuan province people's hospital, Sichuan, 610072, China
| | - Shiwei Tang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 3, section 17, Renmin South Road, Wuhou District, Chengdu City, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Suqin Feng
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 3, section 17, Renmin South Road, Wuhou District, Chengdu City, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Tingting Li
- Department of pharmacy, People's hospital of Xishuangbanna, Dai Autonomous prefecture, 666100, Yunnan, China
| | - Ling Wang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 3, section 17, Renmin South Road, Wuhou District, Chengdu City, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Xuehua Jiang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 3, section 17, Renmin South Road, Wuhou District, Chengdu City, 610041, Sichuan, China.
- School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, 563006, China.
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Su Y, Lv X, Yin W, Zhou L, Hu Y, Zhou A, Qi F. CircRNA Cdr1as functions as a competitive endogenous RNA to promote hepatocellular carcinoma progression. Aging (Albany NY) 2019; 11:8183-8203. [PMID: 31581132 PMCID: PMC6814590 DOI: 10.18632/aging.102312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.4] [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] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 09/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Recent years, circular RNA (circRNA) have been shown to exert vital functions in the pathological progressions of many diseases. A growing number of evidences have identified the representative function of exosomal circRNAs in the physiological state of donor cells, which further induces cellular responses after captured by recipient cells. However, the contributions of circRNAs to HCC remain largely unknown. In vitro and in vivo regulatory roles of circRNA Cdr1as in proliferative and migratory abilities of HCC were evaluated by CCK8, EdU, Transwell and tumourigenicity assays, respectively. Results showed circRNA Cdr1as was highly expressed in HCC cell lines and tissues. Overexpression of circRNA Cdr1as greatly accelerated HCC cells to proliferate and migrate. Mechanistically, we found that Cdr1as could promote the expression of AFP, a well-known biomarker for HCC, by sponging miR-1270. Further studies showed exosomes extracted from HCC cells overexpressing circRNA Cdr1as accelerated the proliferative and migratory abilities of surrounding normal cells. In all, circRNA Cdr1as serves as a ceRNA to promote the progression of HCC. Meanwhile, it is directly transferred from HCC cells to surrounding normal cells via exosomes to further mediate the biological functions of surrounding cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Su
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Affiliated Huaian No.1 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Huaian, Jiangsu, China.,State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Center for Global Health, Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiurui Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Center for Global Health, Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wei Yin
- Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huaian, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lingling Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Center for Global Health, Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yilin Hu
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Nantong University Affiliated Hospital, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ang Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Affiliated Huaian No.1 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Huaian, Jiangsu, China
| | - FuZhen Qi
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Affiliated Huaian No.1 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Huaian, Jiangsu, China
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