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Musella M, Manduca N, Maccafeo E, Ruggiero E, Sistigu A. In Vitro Evaluation of Cancer Cell Immunogenicity and Antigen-Specific T-Cell Cytotoxicity by Flow Cytometry. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2748:13-28. [PMID: 38070104 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3593-3_2] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
A cardinal principle of oncoimmunology is that cancer cells can be eliminated by tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic CD8 T lymphocytes. This has been widely demonstrated during the last 20 years and also recently harnessed for therapy. However, emerging evidence indicates that even neoplasms showing striking initial responses to conventional and targeted (immuno)therapies often acquire resistance, resulting in tumor relapse, increased aggressiveness, and metastatization. Indeed, tumors are complex ecosystems whose malignant and nonmalignant cells, constituting the tumor microenvironment, constantly interact and evolve in space and time. Together with patient's own genetic factors, such environmental interplays may curtail antitumor immune responses leading to cancer immune evasion and natural/acquired (immuno)therapy resistance. In this context, cancer stem cells (CSCs) are thought to be the roots of therapy failure. Flow cytometry is a powerful technology that finds extensive applications in cancer biology. It offers several unique advantages as it allows the rapid, quantitative, and multiparametric analysis of cell populations or functions at the single-cell level. In this chapter, we discuss a two-color flow cytometric protocol to evaluate cancer cell immunogenicity by analyzing the proliferative and tumor-killing potential of ovalbumin (OVA)-specific CD8 OT-1 T cells exposed to OVA-expressing MCA205 sarcoma cells and their CSC counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Musella
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
| | - Nicoletta Manduca
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Ester Maccafeo
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Eliana Ruggiero
- Experimental Hematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonella Sistigu
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
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Musella M, Manduca N, Maccafeo E, Sistigu A. Epigenetics behind tumor immunology: a mini review. Oncogene 2023; 42:2932-2938. [PMID: 37604925 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-023-02791-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Immunogenic- and immune-therapies have become hot spots in the treatment of cancer. Although promising, these strategies are frequently associated with innate or acquired resistance, calling for combined targeting of immune inhibitory signals. Epigenetic therapy is attracting considerable attention as a combination partner for immune-based therapies due to its role in molding the state and fate of cancer and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Here, we describe epigenetic dysregulations in cancer, with a particular focus on those related to innate immune signaling and Type I interferons, and emphasize opportunities and current efforts to translate this knowledge into treatment regimens with improved clinical benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Musella
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Manduca
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - Ester Maccafeo
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Sistigu
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168, Rome, Italy.
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario 'A. Gemelli' - Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), 00168, Rome, Italy.
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Manduca N, Maccafeo E, De Maria R, Sistigu A, Musella M. 3D cancer models: One step closer to in vitro human studies. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1175503. [PMID: 37114038 PMCID: PMC10126361 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1175503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy is the great breakthrough in cancer treatment as it displayed prolonged progression-free survival over conventional therapies, yet, to date, in only a minority of patients. In order to broad cancer immunotherapy clinical applicability some roadblocks need to be overcome, first among all the lack of preclinical models that faithfully depict the local tumor microenvironment (TME), which is known to dramatically affect disease onset, progression and response to therapy. In this review, we provide the reader with a detailed overview of current 3D models developed to mimick the complexity and the dynamics of the TME, with a focus on understanding why the TME is a major target in anticancer therapy. We highlight the advantages and translational potentials of tumor spheroids, organoids and immune Tumor-on-a-Chip models in disease modeling and therapeutic response, while outlining pending challenges and limitations. Thinking forward, we focus on the possibility to integrate the know-hows of micro-engineers, cancer immunologists, pharmaceutical researchers and bioinformaticians to meet the needs of cancer researchers and clinicians interested in using these platforms with high fidelity for patient-tailored disease modeling and drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicoletta Manduca
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Ester Maccafeo
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Ruggero De Maria
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario ‘A. Gemelli’ - Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Sistigu
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
- *Correspondence: Martina Musella, ; ; Antonella Sistigu, ;
| | - Martina Musella
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
- *Correspondence: Martina Musella, ; ; Antonella Sistigu, ;
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Musella M, Guarracino A, Manduca N, Galassi C, Ruggiero E, Potenza A, Maccafeo E, Manic G, Mattiello L, Soliman Abdel Rehim S, Signore M, Pietrosanto M, Helmer-Citterich M, Pallocca M, Fanciulli M, Bruno T, De Nicola F, Corleone G, Di Benedetto A, Ercolani C, Pescarmona E, Pizzuti L, Guidi F, Sperati F, Vitale S, Macchia D, Spada M, Schiavoni G, Mattei F, De Ninno A, Businaro L, Lucarini V, Bracci L, Aricò E, Ziccheddu G, Facchiano F, Rossi S, Sanchez M, Boe A, Biffoni M, De Maria R, Vitale I, Sistigu A. Type I IFNs promote cancer cell stemness by triggering the epigenetic regulator KDM1B. Nat Immunol 2022; 23:1379-1392. [PMID: 36002648 PMCID: PMC9477743 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-022-01290-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [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] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells endowed with high tumorigenic, chemoresistant and metastatic potential. Nongenetic mechanisms of acquired resistance are increasingly being discovered, but molecular insights into the evolutionary process of CSCs are limited. Here, we show that type I interferons (IFNs-I) function as molecular hubs of resistance during immunogenic chemotherapy, triggering the epigenetic regulator demethylase 1B (KDM1B) to promote an adaptive, yet reversible, transcriptional rewiring of cancer cells towards stemness and immune escape. Accordingly, KDM1B inhibition prevents the appearance of IFN-I-induced CSCs, both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, IFN-I-induced CSCs are heterogeneous in terms of multidrug resistance, plasticity, invasiveness and immunogenicity. Moreover, in breast cancer (BC) patients receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy, KDM1B positively correlated with CSC signatures. Our study identifies an IFN-I → KDM1B axis as a potent engine of cancer cell reprogramming, supporting KDM1B targeting as an attractive adjunctive to immunogenic drugs to prevent CSC expansion and increase the long-term benefit of therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Musella
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Guarracino
- Department of Biology, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Rome, Italy.,Genomics Research Centre, Human Technopole, Milan, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Manduca
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Galassi
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Eliana Ruggiero
- Experimental Hematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessia Potenza
- Experimental Hematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Ester Maccafeo
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Gwenola Manic
- Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine (IIGM), Candiolo, Italy.,Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO - IRCCS, Candiolo, Italy
| | - Luca Mattiello
- Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine (IIGM), Candiolo, Italy.,Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO - IRCCS, Candiolo, Italy
| | - Sara Soliman Abdel Rehim
- Department of Biology, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Rome, Italy.,Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine (IIGM), Candiolo, Italy
| | - Michele Signore
- RPPA Unit, Proteomics Area, Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Pietrosanto
- Department of Biology, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Rome, Italy
| | | | - Matteo Pallocca
- UOSD Clinical Trial Center, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Tiziana Bruno
- SAFU Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Giacomo Corleone
- SAFU Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Di Benedetto
- Pathology Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristiana Ercolani
- Pathology Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Edoardo Pescarmona
- Pathology Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Pizzuti
- Division of Medical Oncology 2, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Guidi
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.,Fondazione Policlinico Universitario 'A. Gemelli' - IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Sperati
- UOSD Clinical Trial Center, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, IRCCS San Gallicano Dermatological Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Vitale
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniele Macchia
- Center of Animal Research and Welfare, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo Spada
- Center of Animal Research and Welfare, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanna Schiavoni
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Mattei
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Adele De Ninno
- Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies, Italian National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Businaro
- Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies, Italian National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Valeria Lucarini
- Department of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology and of Cell and Gene Therapy, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Bracci
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Eleonora Aricò
- FaBioCell, Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanna Ziccheddu
- Oncogenomics and Epigenetics, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Facchiano
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefania Rossi
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo Sanchez
- Cytometry Unit, Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Boe
- Cytometry Unit, Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Mauro Biffoni
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Ruggero De Maria
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy. .,Fondazione Policlinico Universitario 'A. Gemelli' - IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
| | - Ilio Vitale
- Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine (IIGM), Candiolo, Italy. .,Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO - IRCCS, Candiolo, Italy.
| | - Antonella Sistigu
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy. .,Fondazione Policlinico Universitario 'A. Gemelli' - IRCCS, Rome, Italy. .,Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy.
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Musella M, Galassi C, Manduca N, Sistigu A. The Yin and Yang of Type I IFNs in Cancer Promotion and Immune Activation. Biology (Basel) 2021; 10:biology10090856. [PMID: 34571733 PMCID: PMC8467547 DOI: 10.3390/biology10090856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary The crucial immune stimulatory functions exerted by Type I Interferons (IFNs) in cancer settings have been not only widely demonstrated during the last fifty years but also recently harnessed for therapy. However, depending on the dose and timing, and the downstream induced signatures, Type I IFNs can and do foster cancer progression and immune evasion. Dysregulations of Type I IFN signaling cascade are more and more frequently found in the tumor microenvironment, representing critical determinants of therapeutic innate and adaptive resistance to several anticancer treatments. Understanding when and through which genetic signatures Type I IFNs control or promote cancer growth is extremely urgent in order to prevent and by-pass the deleterious clinical effects and develop optimized innovative (combinatorial) strategies for an effective cancer management. Abstract Type I Interferons (IFNs) are key regulators of natural and therapy-induced host defense against viral infection and cancer. Several years of remarkable progress in the field of oncoimmunology have revealed the dual nature of these cytokines. Hence, Type I IFNs may trigger anti-tumoral responses, while leading immune dysfunction and disease progression. This dichotomy relies on the duration and intensity of the transduced signaling, the nature of the unleashed IFN stimulated genes, and the subset of responding cells. Here, we discuss the role of Type I IFNs in the evolving relationship between the host immune system and cancer, as we offer a view of the therapeutic strategies that exploit and require an intact Type I IFN signaling, and the role of these cytokines in inducing adaptive resistance. A deep understanding of the complex, yet highly regulated, network of Type I IFN triggered molecular pathways will help find a timely and immune“logical” way to exploit these cytokines for anticancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Musella
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy; (C.G.); (N.M.)
- Correspondence: (M.M.); (A.S.); Tel.: +39-0649904452 (M.M.); +39-0649904457 (A.S.)
| | - Claudia Galassi
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy; (C.G.); (N.M.)
| | - Nicoletta Manduca
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy; (C.G.); (N.M.)
| | - Antonella Sistigu
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy; (C.G.); (N.M.)
- Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (M.M.); (A.S.); Tel.: +39-0649904452 (M.M.); +39-0649904457 (A.S.)
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