1
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Wescott EC, Sun X, Gonzalez-Ericsson P, Hanna A, Taylor BC, Sanchez V, Bronzini J, Opalenik SR, Sanders ME, Wulfkuhle J, Gallagher RI, Gomez H, Isaacs C, Bharti V, Wilson JT, Ballinger TJ, Santa-Maria CA, Shah PD, Dees EC, Lehmann BD, Abramson VG, Hirst GL, Brown Swigart L, van ˈt Veer LJ, Esserman LJ, Petricoin EF, Pietenpol JA, Balko JM. Epithelial Expressed B7-H4 Drives Differential Immunotherapy Response in Murine and Human Breast Cancer. Cancer Res Commun 2024; 4:1120-1134. [PMID: 38687247 PMCID: PMC11041871 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-23-0468] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI, including anti-PD-1/PD-L1) and chemotherapy have been FDA approved for metastatic and early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), but most patients do not benefit. B7-H4 is a B7 family ligand with proposed immunosuppressive functions being explored as a cancer immunotherapy target and may be associated with anti-PD-L1 resistance. However, little is known about its regulation and effect on immune cell function in breast cancers. We assessed murine and human breast cancer cells to identify regulation mechanisms of B7-H4 in vitro. We used an immunocompetent anti-PD-L1-sensitive orthotopic mammary cancer model and induced ectopic expression of B7-H4. We assessed therapy response and transcriptional changes at baseline and under treatment with anti-PD-L1. We observed B7-H4 was highly associated with epithelial cell status and transcription factors and found to be regulated by PI3K activity. EMT6 tumors with cell-surface B7-H4 expression were more resistant to immunotherapy. In addition, tumor-infiltrating immune cells had reduced immune activation signaling based on transcriptomic analysis. Paradoxically, in human breast cancer, B7-H4 expression was associated with survival benefit for patients with metastatic TNBC treated with carboplatin plus anti-PD-L1 and was associated with no change in response or survival for patients with early breast cancer receiving chemotherapy plus anti-PD-1. While B7-H4 induces tumor resistance to anti-PD-L1 in murine models, there are alternative mechanisms of signaling and function in human cancers. In addition, the strong correlation of B7-H4 to epithelial cell markers suggests a potential regulatory mechanism of B7-H4 independent of PD-L1. SIGNIFICANCE This translational study confirms the association of B7-H4 expression with a cold immune microenvironment in breast cancer and offers preclinical studies demonstrating a potential role for B7-H4 in suppressing response to checkpoint therapy. However, analysis of two clinical trials with checkpoint inhibitors in the early and metastatic settings argue against B7-H4 as being a mechanism of clinical resistance to checkpoints, with clear implications for its candidacy as a therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth C. Wescott
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Xiaopeng Sun
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Paula Gonzalez-Ericsson
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Ann Hanna
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Brandie C. Taylor
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Violeta Sanchez
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Juliana Bronzini
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Susan R. Opalenik
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Melinda E. Sanders
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Julia Wulfkuhle
- Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University, Manassas, Virginia
| | - Rosa I. Gallagher
- Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University, Manassas, Virginia
| | - Henry Gomez
- Department of Medical Oncology, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas, Lima, Perú
| | - Claudine Isaacs
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Vijaya Bharti
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - John T. Wilson
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Tarah J. Ballinger
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | | | - Payal D. Shah
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Elizabeth C. Dees
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Brian D. Lehmann
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Vandana G. Abramson
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Gillian L. Hirst
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Lamorna Brown Swigart
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Laura J. van ˈt Veer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Laura J. Esserman
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Emanuel F. Petricoin
- Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University, Manassas, Virginia
| | - Jennifer A. Pietenpol
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Justin M. Balko
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Cancer Biology Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
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2
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Taylor BC, Sun X, Gonzalez-Ericsson PI, Sanchez V, Sanders ME, Wescott EC, Opalenik SR, Hanna A, Chou ST, Van Kaer L, Gomez H, Isaacs C, Ballinger TJ, Santa-Maria CA, Shah PD, Dees EC, Lehmann BD, Abramson VG, Pietenpol JA, Balko JM. NKG2A Is a Therapeutic Vulnerability in Immunotherapy Resistant MHC-I Heterogeneous Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Cancer Discov 2024; 14:290-307. [PMID: 37791898 PMCID: PMC10850946 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-23-0519] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Despite the success of immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) in treating cancer, patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) often develop resistance to therapy, and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. MHC-I expression is essential for antigen presentation and T-cell-directed immunotherapy responses. This study demonstrates that TNBC patients display intratumor heterogeneity in regional MHC-I expression. In murine models, loss of MHC-I negates antitumor immunity and ICI response, whereas intratumor MHC-I heterogeneity leads to increased infiltration of natural killer (NK) cells in an IFNγ-dependent manner. Using spatial technologies, MHC-I heterogeneity is associated with clinical resistance to anti-programmed death (PD) L1 therapy and increased NK:T-cell ratios in human breast tumors. MHC-I heterogeneous tumors require NKG2A to suppress NK-cell function. Combining anti-NKG2A and anti-PD-L1 therapies restores complete response in heterogeneous MHC-I murine models, dependent on the presence of activated, tumor-infiltrating NK and CD8+ T cells. These results suggest that similar strategies may enhance patient benefit in clinical trials. SIGNIFICANCE Clinical resistance to immunotherapy is common in breast cancer, and many patients will likely require combination therapy to maximize immunotherapeutic benefit. This study demonstrates that heterogeneous MHC-I expression drives resistance to anti-PD-L1 therapy and exposes NKG2A on NK cells as a target to overcome resistance. This article is featured in Selected Articles from This Issue, p. 201.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xiaopeng Sun
- Cancer Biology Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Paula I. Gonzalez-Ericsson
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Violeta Sanchez
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Melinda E. Sanders
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Elizabeth C. Wescott
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Susan R. Opalenik
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Ann Hanna
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Shu-Ting Chou
- Cancer Biology Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Luc Van Kaer
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Henry Gomez
- Department of Medical Oncology, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas, Lima, Perú
| | - Claudine Isaacs
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Tarah J. Ballinger
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | | | - Payal D. Shah
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Elizabeth C. Dees
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Brian D. Lehmann
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Vandana G. Abramson
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Jennifer A. Pietenpol
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Justin M. Balko
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
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3
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Hanna A, Sun X, Tran E, Sheng Q, Taylor BC, Opalenik SR, Balko JM. Abstract 4152: Longitudinal local and peripheral immunologic changes associated with PD-L1 response in a murine breast cancer model. Cancer Res 2023. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2023-4152] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have significantly enhanced patient survival in many cancers but yield limited success in breast cancer. ICIs activate anti-tumor immunity by overriding the inhibition of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Clinical trials in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients, who harbor TILs within tumor stroma, have demonstrated increased survival (IMpassion130) and pathologic complete response (KEYNOTE-522) to ICI leading to FDA-approval of ICI and chemotherapy combinations in metastatic TNBC. However, ICI benefit is heterogeneous among patients. We sought to model ICI response in vivo to evaluate therapeutic resistance and response heterogeneity and to ascertain predictive biomarkers for favorable ICI outcomes. An immunocompetent EMT6 orthotopic mammary tumor model was used to investigate the efficacy of anti-PD-L1. Matched longitudinal samples of the tumor microenvironment (TME) (collected by fine-needle aspiration) and peripheral blood (PBMC) from mice were profiled by bulk RNA and T-cell receptor sequencing.
Anti-PD-L1 robustly suppressed primary tumor growth and extended survival beyond the control group. The addition of chemotherapy demonstrated moderate therapeutic efficacy but failed to enhance ICI benefit. Phenotypic profiling of the TME revealed increased T cells, DCs, and NK cells in anti-PD-L1 only and chemotherapy combination groups. Despite using a genetically identical tumor model and host, PD-L1 blockade induced heterogeneous responses, like clinical outcomes in TNBC patients, ranging from complete response (CR) to intrinsic resistance (IR). The primary TME showed upregulated signatures of cytotoxic T cell response and activation, specifically inflammatory interferon signaling (both prior to and post ICI administration) that corresponded to favorable outcomes to anti-PD-L1 in individual mice. Longitudinal analysis of the peripheral blood identified modest changes among mice at baseline that progressively deviated by response type (IR-vs-CR). Mice harbored enriched myeloid signatures and clonal T cell expansion during therapy corresponding to ICI resistance and response, respectively. Further investigations of matched peripheral blood and the primary TME signatures may identify systemic biomarkers and tumor antigen-specific T cell clones to accurately predict ICI response in patients and uncover mechanisms for sensitizing tumors refractory to ICI.
Thus, we identify an in vivo model that emulates TNBC patient heterogeneous outcomes to ICI combinatorial approaches. We describe host-specific signatures, specifically from myeloid cells, that correlate with differential responses to ICI, which may serve as a basis for peripheral blood tracking of breast cancer patient responses.
Citation Format: Ann Hanna, Xiaopeng Sun, Emily Tran, Quanhu Sheng, Brandie C. Taylor, Susan R. Opalenik, Justin M. Balko. Longitudinal local and peripheral immunologic changes associated with PD-L1 response in a murine breast cancer model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 4152.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Hanna
- 1Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | | | | | - Quanhu Sheng
- 1Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
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4
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Axelrod ML, Meijers WC, Screever EM, Qin J, Carroll MG, Sun X, Tannous E, Zhang Y, Sugiura A, Taylor BC, Hanna A, Zhang S, Amancherla K, Tai W, Wright JJ, Wei SC, Opalenik SR, Toren AL, Rathmell JC, Ferrell PB, Phillips EJ, Mallal S, Johnson DB, Allison JP, Moslehi JJ, Balko JM. T cells specific for α-myosin drive immunotherapy-related myocarditis. Nature 2022; 611:818-826. [PMID: 36385524 PMCID: PMC9930174 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05432-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Immune-related adverse events, particularly severe toxicities such as myocarditis, are major challenges to the utility of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in anticancer therapy1. The pathogenesis of ICI-associated myocarditis (ICI-MC) is poorly understood. Pdcd1-/-Ctla4+/- mice recapitulate clinicopathological features of ICI-MC, including myocardial T cell infiltration2. Here, using single-cell RNA and T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing of cardiac immune infiltrates from Pdcd1-/-Ctla4+/- mice, we identify clonal effector CD8+ T cells as the dominant cell population. Treatment with anti-CD8-depleting, but not anti-CD4-depleting, antibodies improved the survival of Pdcd1-/-Ctla4+/- mice. Adoptive transfer of immune cells from mice with myocarditis induced fatal myocarditis in recipients, which required CD8+ T cells. The cardiac-specific protein α-myosin, which is absent from the thymus3,4, was identified as the cognate antigen source for three major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted TCRs derived from mice with fulminant myocarditis. Peripheral blood T cells from three patients with ICI-MC were expanded by α-myosin peptides. Moreover, these α-myosin-expanded T cells shared TCR clonotypes with diseased heart and skeletal muscle, which indicates that α-myosin may be a clinically important autoantigen in ICI-MC. These studies underscore the crucial role for cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, identify a candidate autoantigen in ICI-MC and yield new insights into the pathogenesis of ICI toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret L Axelrod
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Wouter C Meijers
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Cardiology, Thorax Center, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Elles M Screever
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Cardiology, Thorax Center, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Juan Qin
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Section of Cardio-Oncology and Immunology, Division of Cardiology and the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mary Grace Carroll
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Xiaopeng Sun
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Elie Tannous
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Yueli Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Ayaka Sugiura
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Brandie C Taylor
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Ann Hanna
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Shaoyi Zhang
- Section of Cardio-Oncology and Immunology, Division of Cardiology and the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kaushik Amancherla
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Warren Tai
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Division of Cardiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jordan J Wright
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Spencer C Wei
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Susan R Opalenik
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Abigail L Toren
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jeffrey C Rathmell
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - P Brent Ferrell
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Elizabeth J Phillips
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia
- Department of Dermatology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Simon Mallal
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Douglas B Johnson
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - James P Allison
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Javid J Moslehi
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Section of Cardio-Oncology and Immunology, Division of Cardiology and the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Justin M Balko
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
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5
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Axelrod ML, Nixon MJ, Gonzalez-Ericsson PI, Bergman RE, Pilkinton MA, McDonnell WJ, Sanchez V, Opalenik SR, Loi S, Zhou J, Mackay S, Rexer BN, Abramson VG, Jansen VM, Mallal S, Donaldson J, Tolaney SM, Krop IE, Garrido-Castro AC, Marotti JD, Shee K, Miller TW, Sanders ME, Mayer IA, Salgado R, Balko JM. Changes in Peripheral and Local Tumor Immunity after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Reshape Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Breast Cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2020; 26:5668-5681. [PMID: 32826327 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-19-3685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The recent approval of anti-programmed death-ligand 1 immunotherapy in combination with nab-paclitaxel for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) highlights the need to understand the role of chemotherapy in modulating the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We examined immune-related gene expression patterns before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in a series of 83 breast tumors, including 44 TNBCs, from patients with residual disease (RD). Changes in gene expression patterns in the TIME were tested for association with recurrence-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS). In addition, we sought to characterize the systemic effects of NAC through single-cell analysis (RNAseq and cytokine secretion) of programmed death-1-high (PD-1HI) CD8+ peripheral T cells and examination of a cytolytic gene signature in whole blood. RESULTS In non-TNBC, no change in expression of any single gene was associated with RFS or OS, while in TNBC upregulation of multiple immune-related genes and gene sets were associated with improved long-term outcome. High cytotoxic T-cell signatures present in the peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer at surgery were associated with persistent disease and recurrence, suggesting active antitumor immunity that may indicate ongoing disease burden. CONCLUSIONS We have characterized the effects of NAC on the TIME, finding that TNBC is uniquely sensitive to the immunologic effects of NAC, and local increases in immune genes/sets are associated with improved outcomes. However, expression of cytotoxic genes in the peripheral blood, as opposed to the TIME, may be a minimally invasive biomarker of persistent micrometastatic disease ultimately leading to recurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret L Axelrod
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Mellissa J Nixon
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | | | - Riley E Bergman
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Mark A Pilkinton
- Department of Infectious Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Wyatt J McDonnell
- Department of Infectious Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Violeta Sanchez
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.,Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Susan R Opalenik
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Sherene Loi
- Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jing Zhou
- IsoPlexis Corporation, Branford, Connecticut
| | - Sean Mackay
- IsoPlexis Corporation, Branford, Connecticut
| | - Brent N Rexer
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Vandana G Abramson
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Valerie M Jansen
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Simon Mallal
- Department of Infectious Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Joshua Donaldson
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Sara M Tolaney
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ian E Krop
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ana C Garrido-Castro
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jonathan D Marotti
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire.,Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire
| | - Kevin Shee
- Department of Molecular & Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire
| | - Todd W Miller
- Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire.,Department of Molecular & Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire
| | - Melinda E Sanders
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.,Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Ingrid A Mayer
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.,Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Roberto Salgado
- Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Pathology, GZA-ZNA Hospitals, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Justin M Balko
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee. .,Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
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6
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Franklin DA, Sharick JT, Ericsson-Gonzalez PI, Sanchez V, Dean PT, Opalenik SR, Cairo S, Judde JG, Lewis MT, Chang JC, Sanders ME, Cook RS, Skala MC, Bordeaux J, Orozco Bender J, Vaupel C, Geiss G, Hinerfeld D, Balko JM. MEK activation modulates glycolysis and supports suppressive myeloid cells in TNBC. JCI Insight 2020; 5:134290. [PMID: 32634121 PMCID: PMC7455066 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.134290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [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: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are heterogeneous and aggressive, with high mortality rates. TNBCs frequently respond to chemotherapy, yet many patients develop chemoresistance. The molecular basis and roles for tumor cell-stromal crosstalk in establishing chemoresistance are complex and largely unclear. Here we report molecular studies of paired TNBC patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) established before and after the development of chemoresistance. Interestingly, the chemoresistant model acquired a distinct KRASQ61R mutation that activates K-Ras. The chemoresistant KRAS-mutant model showed gene expression and proteomic changes indicative of altered tumor cell metabolism. Specifically, KRAS-mutant PDXs exhibited increased redox ratios and decreased activation of AMPK, a protein involved in responding to metabolic homeostasis. Additionally, the chemoresistant model exhibited increased immunosuppression, including expression of CXCL1 and CXCL2, cytokines responsible for recruiting immunosuppressive leukocytes to tumors. Notably, chemoresistant KRAS-mutant tumors harbored increased numbers of granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (gMDSCs). Interestingly, previously established Ras/MAPK-associated gene expression signatures correlated with myeloid/neutrophil-recruiting CXCL1/2 expression and negatively with T cell-recruiting chemokines (CXCL9/10/11) across patients with TNBC, even in the absence of KRAS mutations. MEK inhibition induced tumor suppression in mice while reversing metabolic and immunosuppressive phenotypes, including chemokine production and gMDSC tumor recruitment in the chemoresistant KRAS-mutant tumors. These results suggest that Ras/MAPK pathway inhibitors may be effective in some breast cancer patients to reverse Ras/MAPK-driven tumor metabolism and immunosuppression, particularly in the setting of chemoresistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek A Franklin
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Joe T Sharick
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Morgridge Institute for Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | | | - Violeta Sanchez
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Phillip T Dean
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Susan R Opalenik
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jenny C Chang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Melinda E Sanders
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology and
| | - Rebecca S Cook
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville Tennessee, USA
| | - Melissa C Skala
- Morgridge Institute for Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | | | | | | | - Gary Geiss
- NanoString Technologies, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Justin M Balko
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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7
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Balko JM, Nixon M, Gonzalez-Ericsson PI, Pilkinton MA, McDonnell WJ, Sanchez V, Opalenik SR, Loi S, Rexer B, Abramson V, Jansen V, Mallal S, Marotti JD, Shee K, Miller TW, Sanders ME, Mayer IA, Salgado R. Abstract P3-08-15: Immunologic correlates of long-term outcome in the residual disease of triple-negative breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Cancer Res 2020. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs19-p3-08-15] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The recent approval of anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in combination with nAB-paclitaxel for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) highlights the need to understand the role of chemotherapy in modulating the tumor-immune microenvironment (TIME). Patients with TNBC are routinely treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) in the pre-treatment diagnostic biopsy are predictive of pathologic complete response (pCR). In patients with residual disease (RD) at surgery, sTILs confer good prognosis. However, the effect of chemotherapy on sTILs and how it influences the TIME are poorly understood. We examined immune-gene expression patterns before and after NAC in a series of 83 breast tumors, including 44 TNBCs, from patients with RD. sTILs were enumerated by standardized guidelines. Gene expression patterns were tested for association with recurrence-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS). T cell receptor sequencing (TCRseq) was performed on a subset (n=15) of tumors. In 4 patients undergoing NAC, PD-1-high and -negative CD8+ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were profiled using single-cell RNAseq and multiplexed cytokine secretion assays. Post-NAC sTILs (≥30%) were only predictive of outcome (RFS p=0.019; OS p=0.05) in TNBC patients, but not in non-TNBC patients (RFS p=0.28; OS p=0.78) confirming that the prognostic capacity of sTILs is confined to TNBC. Pre-NAC sTILs were not predictive of outcome in either group, likely due to exclusion of patients experiencing pCR. The change in sTILs during NAC did not prognosticate outcome in TNBC, suggesting that in the post-NAC setting, only the most proximal measurement of sTILs is meaningful. However, these results did suggest that NAC alters the TIME. To examine the interplay among NAC, the TIME, and clinical outcomes, we tested the change in expression of 770 immune-related genes during NAC in univariate cox-proportional hazards models. In non-TNBC, no change in expression of any single gene was associated with RFS or OS at a false-discovery rate (FDR) of 10%. In TNBC, individual changes in 12 genes and 204 genes were identified as associated with RFS and OS, respectively (FDR<10%). Interestingly, in nearly all cases, upregulation of these genes during NAC was associated with improved outcome, with only 1 and 15 genes being associated with poor RFS and OS, respectively. Collapsing genes to functional and cell-type specific signatures gave similar insights: T cell, NK cell, TNF-superfamily, and toll-like receptor signatures were highly prognostic. Surprisingly, NAC did not alter T cell clonality in TNBC. Thus, the immunologic impact of chemotherapy appears to be specific to TNBC and is primarily a beneficial effect but does not appear to appreciably expand the clonality of tumor-infiltrating T cells. Using fresh PD-1HI CD8+ T cells isolated from PBMCs of patients undergoing NAC, we detected a significant increase in cytolytic and inflammatory cytokines secreted in 2 TNBC patients after chemotherapy, but not in 2 non-TNBC patients, which was particularly dramatic in one TNBC patient who experienced a pCR. A further characterization of PD-1HI CD8+ cells by single-cell RNAseq identified a sizeable expansion of cytolytic gene (granulysin, Ksp37, granzyme) expressing cells in the TNBC patient with pCR compared to the TNBC patient with RD. In conclusion, we have characterized the effects of NAC on the TIME. TNBC appears to be uniquely sensitive to the immunologic effects of NAC, and most of these effects are primarily stimulatory, rather than repressive. Finally, these changes can be observed in the PD-1HI CD8+ peripheral T cell compartment and appeared to co-occur with pCR.
Citation Format: Justin M Balko, Mellissa Nixon, Paula I Gonzalez-Ericsson, Mark A Pilkinton, Wyatt J McDonnell, Violeta Sanchez, Susan R Opalenik, Sherene Loi, Brent Rexer, Vandana Abramson, Valerie Jansen, Simon Mallal, Jonathan D Marotti, Kevin Shee, Todd W Miller, Melinda E Sanders, Ingrid A Mayer, Roberto Salgado. Immunologic correlates of long-term outcome in the residual disease of triple-negative breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-08-15.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Sherene Loi
- 2Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Brent Rexer
- 1Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | | | | | - Simon Mallal
- 1Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | | | - Kevin Shee
- 4Dartmouth College Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Hanover, NH
| | - Todd W Miller
- 4Dartmouth College Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Hanover, NH
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James JL, Opalenik SR, Toren A, Cook RS, Balko JM. Abstract 4728: IFNγ signaling drives EZH2 degradation to induce MHC-II expression in melanoma. Cancer Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2019-4728] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background: The molecular mechanisms governing anti-PD-1 resistance in melanoma are not fully understood. Suboptimal transcriptional and molecular response to interferon-gamma (IFNγ) is commonly identified in tumors with intrinsic or acquired resistance to anti-PD-1. Epigenetic regulators have been shown to reprogram IFNγ responses in some cases, though the mechanism is not clear. The ability of melanoma cells to express MHC-II is a positive clinical predictor to anti-PD-1 therapy, and MHC-II is induced only on cells with robust IFNγ responses. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), an epigenetic regulator with both methyltransferase-dependent and -independent function, can suppress IFNγ target genes and is frequently overexpressed in melanoma. However, the mechanisms whereby EZH2 interacts with the IFNγ pathway and its role in melanoma-specific MHC-II expression is not known.
Methods: HLA-DR (MHC-II)-proficient (A375, SKMEL28 and SKMEL5) and -deficient (CHL-1 and MEWO) melanoma cell lines were stimulated with IFNγ for up to 48h, and the modulation of EZH2 protein and function were studied temporally. To test the role of EZH2 in MHC-II (HLA-DR) expression in IFNγ responses, genetic (siRNA) and chemical (GSK343) EZH2 inhibition was utilized.
Results: EZH2 was highly expressed in all cell lines tested, regardless of HLA-DR-proficiency. In 2 out of 3 HLA-DR-inducible melanoma cell lines, EZH2 protein expression was downregulated (4-24 hrs) in response to IFNγ stimulation, without effects on EZH2 mRNA expression or downstream tri-methylated H3K27 expression. Blocking proteosomal degradation with MG-132 reversed the IFNγ-induced decrease in EZH2 expression in HLA-DR-proficient cell lines. After siRNA knockdown of EZH2, SKMEL28 cells increased constitutive HLA-DR expression, while A375 cells became more sensitive to IFNγ-induced HLA-DR upregulation. In addition, IFNγ-induced HLA-DR was increased in A375 cells with EZH2 inhibition using GSK343.
Conclusion: This work demonstrates a potential role for EZH2 in suppressing IFNγ responses, including the induction of MHC-II, in melanoma cells. EZH2 is subject to proteosomal degradation in MHC-II-inducible cell lines, which, in part, contributes to the expression of MHC-II.
Citation Format: Jamaal L. James, Susan R. Opalenik, Abigail Toren, Rebecca S. Cook, Justin M. Balko. IFNγ signaling drives EZH2 degradation to induce MHC-II expression in melanoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4728.
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9
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Franklin DA, Sharick JT, Ericsson-Gonzalez PI, Sanchez V, Dean PT, Opalenik SR, Cairo S, Judde JG, Lewis MT, Chang JC, Sanders ME, Cook RS, Skala MC, Bordeaux J, Bender JO, Vaupel C, Geiss G, Hinerfeld D, Balko JM. Abstract 1511: MEK activation modulates immunosuppressive MDSCs and metabolic phenotypes in TNBC. Cancer Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2019-1511] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are highly heterogeneous and aggressive, with high mortality rates. Although TNBC is typically more responsive to chemotherapy than other breast cancer subtypes, many patients develop chemo-resistance. The molecular processes between tumor and stromal cells involved in developing chemo-resistance are under-explored. Here we report studies of paired TNBC patient-derived xenografts (PDX) established before and after chemo-resistance. Despite significant genetic similarities, the chemo-resistant PDX model harbored a rare constitutively-active KRASQ61R mutation which was not present in the chemo-naive PDX. Further analysis demonstrated that the chemo-resistant KRAS-mutant model exhibited altered gene expression changes including increased expression of CXCR2-ligands CXCL1 and CXCL2, which are responsible for recruiting immune cells to tumors. These expression patterns were largely inhibited in vivo by MEK inhibitor (MEKi) treatment. Moreover, in breast cancer cell lines, CXCL1, CXCL2, and granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (CSF2, stimulates granulocyte and macrophage differentiation from hematopoietic precursor cells, including immunosuppressive myeloid cells) transcripts were also downregulated by MEKi. Notably, chemo-resistant KRAS-mutant tumors harbored increased Gr1+ and Arginase-1+ cells, consistent with recruitment of immunosuppressive M2-like macrophages and/or myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which was inhibited by MEKi. Further experiments demonstrate that CD45+CD11b+Ly6G+ MDSC accumulation in tumors can be inhibited by MEKi treatment alone, or by CXCR2 inhibition, suggesting that the effects of MEK inhibition on MDSC recruitment are CXCL1/2-dependent. Confirming the translational relevance of these findings, in >200 murine and >1000 human breast tumors, Ras/MAPK transcriptional activity correlated with myeloid-recruiting CXCL1/2 expression and negatively with T-cell recruiting chemokines (CXCL9/10/11), even in the absence of activating KRAS mutations. The association with Ras/MAPK activity was also confirmed using immunofluorescence to quantify MHC-II-low myeloid cells in 80 post-chemotherapy TNBC tumors. Importantly, MEKi and chemotherapy combination treatment reversed immunosuppressive cell accumulation and metabolic phenotypes exemplified by altered optical redox ratios (NAD(P)H/FAD) in the chemo-resistant KRAS mutant tumors, resulting in tumor growth suppression in mice. MEKi treatment also reduced redox ratios in 3D cultures of breast cancer cell lines further suggesting that MEK inhibition targets multiple oncogenic processes in breast cancer. These results suggest that Ras/MAPK pathway inhibitors may be effective in some breast cancer patients to reverse Ras/MAPK-driven tumor metabolism and immunosuppression, particularly in the setting of chemo-resistant disease.
Citation Format: Derek A. Franklin, Joe T. Sharick, Paula I. Ericsson-Gonzalez, Violeta Sanchez, Phillip T. Dean, Susan R. Opalenik, Stefano Cairo, Jean-Gabriel Judde, Michael T. Lewis, Jenny C. Chang, Melinda E. Sanders, Rebecca S. Cook, Melissa C. Skala, Jennifer Bordeaux, Jehovana Orozco Bender, Christine Vaupel, Gary Geiss, Douglas Hinerfeld, Justin M. Balko. MEK activation modulates immunosuppressive MDSCs and metabolic phenotypes in TNBC [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1511.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Melissa C. Skala
- 5Morgridge Institute for Research, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
| | - Jennifer Bordeaux
- 6Navigate Biopharma Services, Inc. a Novartis subsidiary, Carlsbad, CA
| | | | - Christine Vaupel
- 6Navigate Biopharma Services, Inc. a Novartis subsidiary, Carlsbad, CA
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10
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Johnson DB, Nixon MJ, Wang Y, Wang DY, Castellanos E, Estrada MV, Ericsson-Gonzalez PI, Cote CH, Salgado R, Sanchez V, Dean PT, Opalenik SR, Schreeder DM, Rimm DL, Kim JY, Bordeaux J, Loi S, Horn L, Sanders ME, Ferrell PB, Xu Y, Sosman JA, Davis RS, Balko JM. Tumor-specific MHC-II expression drives a unique pattern of resistance to immunotherapy via LAG-3/FCRL6 engagement. JCI Insight 2018; 3:120360. [PMID: 30568030 PMCID: PMC6338319 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.120360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [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: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies targeting the PD-1 pathway produce durable responses in many cancers, but the tumor-intrinsic factors governing response and resistance are largely unknown. MHC-II expression on tumor cells can predict response to anti-PD-1 therapy. We therefore sought to determine how MHC-II expression by tumor cells promotes PD-1 dependency. Using transcriptional profiling of anti-PD-1-treated patients, we identified unique patterns of immune activation in MHC-II+ tumors. In patients and preclinical models, MHC-II+ tumors recruited CD4+ T cells and developed dependency on PD-1 as well as Lag-3 (an MHC-II inhibitory receptor), which was upregulated in MHC-II+ tumors at acquired resistance to anti-PD-1. Finally, we identify enhanced expression of FCRL6, another MHC-II receptor expressed on NK and T cells, in the microenvironment of MHC-II+ tumors. We ascribe this to what we believe to be a novel inhibitory function of FCRL6 engagement, identifying it as an immunotherapy target. These data suggest a MHC-II-mediated context-dependent mechanism of adaptive resistance to PD-1-targeting immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yu Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | | | - Monica V. Estrada
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Paula I. Ericsson-Gonzalez
- Department of Pathology Microbiology, and Immunology, and,Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | - Roberto Salgado
- Department of Pathology, GZA-ZNA Hospitals, Antwerp, Belgium.,Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | - David L. Rimm
- Departments of Pathology and Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Ju Young Kim
- Navigate BioPharma Services Inc., a Novartis Company, Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Jennifer Bordeaux
- Navigate BioPharma Services Inc., a Novartis Company, Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Sherene Loi
- Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Melinda E. Sanders
- Department of Pathology Microbiology, and Immunology, and,Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | - Yaomin Xu
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Jeffrey A. Sosman
- Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Randall S. Davis
- Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Justin M. Balko
- Department of Medicine and,Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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11
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Johnson DB, Nixon MJ, Wang Y, Wang DY, Castellanos E, Estrada MV, Ericsson-Gonzalez PI, Cote CH, Salgado R, Sanchez V, Dean PT, Opalenik SR, Schreeder DM, Rimm DL, Kim JY, Bordeaux J, Loi S, Horn L, Sanders ME, Ferrell PB, Xu Y, Sosman JA, Davis RS, Balko JM. Tumor-specific MHC-II expression drives a unique pattern of resistance to immunotherapy via LAG-3/FCRL6 engagement. JCI Insight 2018. [PMID: 30568030 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.120360.] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies targeting the PD-1 pathway produce durable responses in many cancers, but the tumor-intrinsic factors governing response and resistance are largely unknown. MHC-II expression on tumor cells can predict response to anti-PD-1 therapy. We therefore sought to determine how MHC-II expression by tumor cells promotes PD-1 dependency. Using transcriptional profiling of anti-PD-1-treated patients, we identified unique patterns of immune activation in MHC-II+ tumors. In patients and preclinical models, MHC-II+ tumors recruited CD4+ T cells and developed dependency on PD-1 as well as Lag-3 (an MHC-II inhibitory receptor), which was upregulated in MHC-II+ tumors at acquired resistance to anti-PD-1. Finally, we identify enhanced expression of FCRL6, another MHC-II receptor expressed on NK and T cells, in the microenvironment of MHC-II+ tumors. We ascribe this to what we believe to be a novel inhibitory function of FCRL6 engagement, identifying it as an immunotherapy target. These data suggest a MHC-II-mediated context-dependent mechanism of adaptive resistance to PD-1-targeting immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yu Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | | | - Monica V Estrada
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Paula I Ericsson-Gonzalez
- Department of Pathology Microbiology, and Immunology, and.,Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | - Roberto Salgado
- Department of Pathology, GZA-ZNA Hospitals, Antwerp, Belgium.,Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | - David L Rimm
- Departments of Pathology and Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Ju Young Kim
- Navigate BioPharma Services Inc., a Novartis Company, Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Jennifer Bordeaux
- Navigate BioPharma Services Inc., a Novartis Company, Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Sherene Loi
- Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Melinda E Sanders
- Department of Pathology Microbiology, and Immunology, and.,Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | - Yaomin Xu
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Jeffrey A Sosman
- Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Randall S Davis
- Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Justin M Balko
- Department of Medicine and.,Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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12
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Luo N, Formisano L, Gonzalez-Ericsson PI, Sanchez V, Dean PT, Opalenik SR, Sanders ME, Cook RS, Arteaga CL, Johnson DB, Balko JM. Melanoma response to anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy requires JAK1 signaling, but not JAK2. Oncoimmunology 2018; 7:e1438106. [PMID: 29872580 PMCID: PMC5975601 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2018.1438106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Revised: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies targeting programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) or its ligand, programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), dramatically improve the survival of melanoma patients. However, only ∼40% of treated patients demonstrate a clinical response to single-agent anti-PD-1 therapy. An intact tumor response to type-II interferon (i.e. IFN-γ) correlates with response to anti-PD-1, and patients with de novo or acquired resistance may harbor loss-of-function alterations in the JAK/STAT pathway, which lies downstream of the interferon gamma receptor (IFNGR1/2). In this study, we dissected the specific roles of individual JAK/STAT pathway members on the IFN-γ response, and identified JAK1 as the primary mediator of JAK/STAT signaling associated with IFN-γ-induced expression of antigen-presenting molecules MHC-I and MHC-II, as well as PD-L1 and the cytostatic response to IFN-γ. In contrast to the crucial role of JAK1, JAK2 was largely dispensable in mediating most IFN-γ effects. In a mouse melanoma model, inhibition of JAK1/2 in combination with anti-PD-L1 therapy partially blocked anti-tumor immunologic responses, while selective JAK2 inhibition appeared to augment therapy. Amplification of JAK/STAT signaling in tumor cells through genetic inhibition of the negative regulator PTPN2 potentiated IFN-γ response in vitro and in vivo, and may be a target to enhance immunotherapy efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Luo
- Department of Anatomy and Histology, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
- Departments of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN, USA
| | - Luigi Formisano
- Departments of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN, USA
| | | | - Violeta Sanchez
- Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN, USA
| | - Phillip T. Dean
- Departments of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN, USA
| | - Susan R. Opalenik
- Departments of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN, USA
| | - Melinda E. Sanders
- Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN, USA
| | - Rebecca S. Cook
- Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN, USA
- Cancer Biology Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN, USA
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN
| | - Carlos L. Arteaga
- Departments of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN
| | - Douglas B. Johnson
- Departments of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN, USA
| | - Justin M. Balko
- Departments of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN, USA
- Cancer Biology Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN, USA
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN, USA
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13
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Johnson DB, Estrada MV, Salgado R, Sanchez V, Doxie DB, Opalenik SR, Vilgelm AE, Feld E, Johnson AS, Greenplate AR, Sanders ME, Lovly CM, Frederick DT, Kelley MC, Richmond A, Irish JM, Shyr Y, Sullivan RJ, Puzanov I, Sosman JA, Balko JM. Melanoma-specific MHC-II expression represents a tumour-autonomous phenotype and predicts response to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10582. [PMID: 26822383 PMCID: PMC4740184 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 356] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.5] [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: 10/08/2015] [Accepted: 12/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Anti-PD-1 therapy yields objective clinical responses in 30-40% of advanced melanoma patients. Since most patients do not respond, predictive biomarkers to guide treatment selection are needed. We hypothesize that MHC-I/II expression is required for tumour antigen presentation and may predict anti-PD-1 therapy response. In this study, across 60 melanoma cell lines, we find bimodal expression patterns of MHC-II, while MHC-I expression was ubiquitous. A unique subset of melanomas are capable of expressing MHC-II under basal or IFNγ-stimulated conditions. Using pathway analysis, we show that MHC-II(+) cell lines demonstrate signatures of 'PD-1 signalling', 'allograft rejection' and 'T-cell receptor signalling', among others. In two independent cohorts of anti-PD-1-treated melanoma patients, MHC-II positivity on tumour cells is associated with therapeutic response, progression-free and overall survival, as well as CD4(+) and CD8(+) tumour infiltrate. MHC-II(+) tumours can be identified by melanoma-specific immunohistochemistry using commercially available antibodies for HLA-DR to improve anti-PD-1 patient selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas B. Johnson
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA,
| | - Monica V. Estrada
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Roberto Salgado
- Department of Pathology, Breast Cancer Translational Research Laboratory, Institut Jules Bordet, Boulevard de Waterloo 121, Brussels 1000, Belgium
| | - Violeta Sanchez
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Deon B. Doxie
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Susan R. Opalenik
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Anna E. Vilgelm
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA,Department of Veterans Affairs, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Emily Feld
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Adam S. Johnson
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Allison R. Greenplate
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA,Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Melinda E. Sanders
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Christine M. Lovly
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA,Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Dennie T. Frederick
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, 02114 Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark C. Kelley
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Ann Richmond
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA,Department of Veterans Affairs, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Jonathan M. Irish
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA,Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Yu Shyr
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Ryan J. Sullivan
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Igor Puzanov
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Jeffrey A. Sosman
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA
| | - Justin M. Balko
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA,Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232 Tennessee, USA,
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14
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Davidson JM, Yu F, Opalenik SR. Splinting Strategies to Overcome Confounding Wound Contraction in Experimental Animal Models. Adv Wound Care (New Rochelle) 2013; 2:142-148. [PMID: 24527337 DOI: 10.1089/wound.2012.0424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2013] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
SIGNIFICANCE Clinical healing by secondary intention frequently occurs in skin that is firmly anchored to underlying (human) connective tissue. Small animals (rodents) are extensively utilized to model human cutaneous wound healing, but they heal by wound contraction, a process that is limited in the human and confounds quantitative and qualitative evaluation of experimental wound repair. RECENT ADVANCES To alleviate wound contraction in loose-skinned species, practical solutions include choosing anatomical sites with firmly attached dermis and subcutis (e.g., rabbit ear) or performing mechanical fixation of the skin by using one of a number of devices or splints. In each case, the wound volume remains relatively constant, allowing the histomorphometric or biomolecular quantification of the cellular response under well-controlled, experimental conditions. In addition, the defined aperture of the splinted wound allows the placement of a variety of materials, including scaffolds, cells, and biologically active formulations into the wound site in an effort to potentiate the healing response and abrogate scarring. In contrast, production of larger experimental wounds or the deliberate distraction of wound margins can be used to model a hypertrophic response. CRITICAL ISSUES Device design parameters should consider ease of application, durability, and lack of interference with the normal influx of local and circulating cells to the wound site. FUTURE DIRECTIONS Improved methods of securing flexible splints would provide a more efficient experimental platform. These devices could also incorporate optical or electronic sensors that report both the mechanical and physiological status of the healing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M. Davidson
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
- Medical Research Service, Veterans' Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Fang Yu
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Susan R. Opalenik
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
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15
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Hines KM, Ashfaq S, Davidson JM, Opalenik SR, Wikswo JP, McLean JA. Biomolecular signatures of diabetic wound healing by structural mass spectrometry. Anal Chem 2013; 85:3651-9. [PMID: 23452326 PMCID: PMC3622049 DOI: 10.1021/ac303594m] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Wound fluid is a complex biological sample containing byproducts associated with the wound repair process. Contemporary techniques, such as immunoblotting and enzyme immunoassays, require extensive sample manipulation and do not permit the simultaneous analysis of multiple classes of biomolecular species. Structural mass spectrometry, implemented as ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS), comprises two sequential, gas-phase dispersion techniques well suited for the study of complex biological samples because of its ability to separate and simultaneously analyze multiple classes of biomolecules. As a model of diabetic wound healing, poly(vinyl alcohol) sponges were inserted subcutaneously into nondiabetic (control) and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats to elicit a granulation tissue response and to collect acute wound fluid. Sponges were harvested at days 2 or 5 to capture different stages of the early wound-healing process. Utilizing IM-MS, statistical analysis, and targeted ultraperformance liquid chromatography analysis, biomolecular signatures of diabetic wound healing have been identified. The protein S100-A8 was highly enriched in the wound fluids collected from day 2 diabetic rats. Lysophosphatidylcholine (20:4) and cholic acid also contributed significantly to the differences between diabetic and control groups. This report provides a generalized workflow for wound fluid analysis demonstrated with a diabetic rat model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M. Hines
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235
- Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232
- Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235
| | - Samir Ashfaq
- Health Science Center College of Medicine, Texas A&M, College Station, TX 77843
| | - Jeffrey M. Davidson
- Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Health Care System, Nashville, TN 37212
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232
| | - Susan R. Opalenik
- Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Health Care System, Nashville, TN 37212
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232
| | - John P. Wikswo
- Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235
- Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235
| | - John A. McLean
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235
- Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232
- Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235
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16
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Beckham JT, Wilmink GJ, Opalenik SR, Mackanos MA, Abraham AA, Takahashi K, Contag CH, Takahashi T, Jansen ED. Microarray analysis of cellular thermotolerance. Lasers Surg Med 2011; 42:752-65. [PMID: 21246580 DOI: 10.1002/lsm.20983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Previously, we have shown that a 43°C pretreatment can provide thermotolerance to a following, more severe, thermal stress at 45°C. Using cells that lack the Hsp70 gene, we have also shown that there is still some thermotolerance in the absence of HSP70 protein. The purpose of this study was to determine which genes play a role in thermotolerance by measuring viability and proliferation of the cells at 2 days after heating. Specifically, we wanted to understand which pathways may be responsible for protecting cells in the absence of HSP70. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS Murine embryonic fibroblast cells with and without Hsp70 (MEF(+/+) and MEF(-/-), respectively) were exposed to a mild heat shock of 43°C for 30 minutes in a constant temperature water bath. After 3 hours of recovery, RNA was harvested from three heated samples alongside three untreated controls using a MicroRNeasy kit with DNAse treatment. RNA quality was verified by an Agilent Bioanalyzer. The RNA was then converted to cDNA and hybridized to Affymetrix gene expression DNA microarrays. The genes that showed a twofold change (up or down) relative to unheated controls were filtered by t-test for significance at a threshold of P < 0.05 using Genespring software. Data were verified by qRT-PCR. Genes were then categorized based upon their ontology. RESULTS While many genes were similarly upregulated, the main difference between cell types was an increase in transcription factors and nucleic acid binding proteins. Several genes known to be involved in the heat response were upregulated more than twofold (Hsp70, Hsp40, Hsp110, Hsp25, Atf3), however, another well studied heat responsive gene Hsp90 only increased by 1.5-fold under these conditions despite its role in thermotolerance. CONCLUSIONS The data herein presents genetic pathways which are candidates for further study of pretreatment protocols in laser irradiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh T Beckham
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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17
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Markov DA, Manuel S, Shor LM, Opalenik SR, Wikswo JP, Samson PC. Tape underlayment rotary-node (TURN) valves for simple on-chip microfluidic flow control. Biomed Microdevices 2010; 12:135-44. [PMID: 19859812 DOI: 10.1007/s10544-009-9368-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We describe a simple and reliable fabrication method for producing multiple, manually activated microfluidic control valves in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) devices. These screwdriver-actuated valves reside directly on the microfluidic chip and can provide both simple on/off operation as well as graded control of fluid flow. The fabrication procedure can be easily implemented in any soft lithography lab and requires only two specialized tools-a hot-glue gun and a machined brass mold. To facilitate use in multi-valve fluidic systems, the mold is designed to produce a linear tape that contains a series of plastic rotary nodes with small stainless steel machine screws that form individual valves which can be easily separated for applications when only single valves are required. The tape and its valves are placed on the surface of a partially cured thin PDMS microchannel device while the PDMS is still on the soft-lithographic master, with the master providing alignment marks for the tape. The tape is permanently affixed to the microchannel device by pouring an over-layer of PDMS, to form a full-thickness device with the tape as an enclosed underlayment. The advantages of these Tape Underlayment Rotary-Node (TURN) valves include parallel fabrication of multiple valves, low risk of damaging a microfluidic device during valve installation, high torque, elimination of stripped threads, the capabilities of TURN hydraulic actuators, and facile customization of TURN molds. We have utilized these valves to control microfluidic flow, to control the onset of molecular diffusion, and to manipulate channel connectivity. Practical applications of TURN valves include control of loading and chemokine release in chemotaxis assay devices, flow in microfluidic bioreactors, and channel connectivity in microfluidic devices intended to study competition and predator/prey relationships among microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry A Markov
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B 351631, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
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18
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Addae-Mensah KA, Retterer S, Opalenik SR, Thomas D, Lavrik NV, Wikswo JP. Cryogenic Etching of Silicon: An Alternative Method For Fabrication of Vertical Microcantilever Master Molds. J Microelectromech Syst 2009; 19:10.1109/JMEMS.2009.2037440. [PMID: 24223478 PMCID: PMC3818692 DOI: 10.1109/jmems.2009.2037440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
This paper examines the use of deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of silicon with fluorine high-density plasmas at cryogenic temperatures to produce silicon master molds for vertical microcantilever arrays used for controlling substrate stiffness for culturing living cells. The resultant profiles achieved depend on the rate of deposition and etching of a SiO x F y polymer, which serves as a passivation layer on the sidewalls of the etched structures in relation to areas that have not been passivated with the polymer. We look at how optimal tuning of two parameters, the O2 flow rate and the capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) power, determine the etch profile. All other pertinent parameters are kept constant. We examine the etch profiles produced using e-beam resist as the main etch mask, with holes having diameters of 750 nm, 1 µm, and 2 µm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kweku A Addae-Mensah
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235 USA
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19
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Wilmink GJ, Opalenik SR, Beckham JT, Mackanos MA, Nanney LB, Contag CH, Davidson JM, Jansen ED. In-vivo optical imaging of hsp70 expression to assess collateral tissue damage associated with infrared laser ablation of skin. J Biomed Opt 2008; 13:054066. [PMID: 19021444 PMCID: PMC3840494 DOI: 10.1117/1.2992594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Laser surgical ablation is achieved by selecting laser parameters that remove confined volumes of target tissue and cause minimal collateral damage. Previous studies have measured the effects of wavelength on ablation, but neglected to measure the cellular impact of ablation on cells outside the lethal zone. In this study, we use optical imaging in addition to conventional assessment techniques to evaluate lethal and sublethal collateral damage after ablative surgery with a free-electron laser (FEL). Heat shock protein (HSP) expression is used as a sensitive quantitative marker of sublethal damage in a transgenic mouse strain, with the hsp70 promoter driving luciferase and green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression (hsp70A1-L2G). To examine the wavelength dependence in the mid-IR, laser surgery is conducted on the hsp70A1-L2G mouse using wavelengths targeting water (OH stretch mode, 2.94 microm), protein (amide-II band, 6.45 microm), and both water and protein (amide-I band, 6.10 microm). For all wavelengths tested, the magnitude of hsp70 expression is dose-dependent and maximal 5 to 12 h after surgery. Tissues treated at 6.45 microm have approximately 4x higher hsp70 expression than 6.10 microm. Histology shows that under comparable fluences, tissue injury at the 2.94-microm wavelength was 2x and 3x deeper than 6.45 and 6.10 microm, respectively. The 6.10-microm wavelength generates the least amount of epidermal hyperplasia. Taken together, this data suggests that the 6.10-microm wavelength is a superior wavelength for laser ablation of skin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald J Wilmink
- Vanderbilt University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, USA
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20
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Wilmink GJ, Opalenik SR, Beckham JT, Abraham AA, Nanney LB, Mahadevan-Jansen A, Davidson JM, Jansen ED. Molecular imaging-assisted optimization of hsp70 expression during laser-induced thermal preconditioning for wound repair enhancement. J Invest Dermatol 2008; 129:205-16. [PMID: 18580963 DOI: 10.1038/jid.2008.175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Patients at risk for impaired healing may benefit from prophylactic measures aimed at improving wound repair. Several photonic devices claim to enhance repair by thermal and photochemical mechanisms. We hypothesized that laser-induced thermal preconditioning would enhance surgical wound healing that was correlated with hsp70 expression. Using a pulsed diode laser (lambda=1.85 microm, tau(p)=2 ms, 50 Hz, H=7.64 mJ cm(-2)), the skin of transgenic mice that contain an hsp70 promoter-driven luciferase was preconditioned 12 hours before surgical incisions were made. Laser protocols were optimized in vitro and in vivo using temperature, blood flow, and hsp70-mediated bioluminescence measurements as benchmarks. Biomechanical properties and histological parameters of wound healing were evaluated for up to 14 days. Bioluminescent imaging studies indicated that an optimized laser protocol increased hsp70 expression by 10-fold. Under these conditions, laser-preconditioned incisions were two times stronger than control wounds. Our data suggest that this molecular imaging approach provides a quantitative method for optimization of tissue preconditioning and that mild laser-induced heat shock may be a useful therapeutic intervention prior to surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald J Wilmink
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
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21
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Yu Y, Su Y, Opalenik SR, Sobolik-Delmaire T, Neel NF, Zaja-Milatovic S, Short ST, Sai J, Richmond A. Short tail with skin lesion phenotype occurs in transgenic mice with keratin-14 promoter-directed expression of mutant CXCR2. J Leukoc Biol 2008; 84:406-19. [PMID: 18505935 DOI: 10.1189/jlb.0807544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
CXCR2 plays an important role during cutaneous wound healing. Transgenic mice were generated using the keratin-14 promoter/enhancer to direct expression of wild-type human CXCR2 (K14hCXCR2 WT) or mutant CXCR2, in which the carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) was truncated at Ser 331 and the dileucine AP-2 binding motif was mutated to alanine (K14hCXCR2 331T/LL/AA/IL/AA). Our results indicate that K14hCXCR2WT transgenic mice exhibited a normal phenotype, while K14hCXCR2 331T/LL/AA/IL/AA transgenic mice were born with tails of normal length, but three to eight days after birth their tails degenerated, leaving only a short tail stub. The tissue degeneration in the tail started between caudal somites with degeneration of bone and connective tissue distal to the constriction, which was replaced with stromal tissue heavily infiltrated with inflammatory cells. The tail lesion site revealed coagulation in enlarged vessels and marked edema that eventually led to loss of the distal tail. Moreover, 66% of the mice exhibited focal skin blemishes and inflammation that exhibited an increase in the number of sebaceous glands and blood vessels, enlargement of the hair follicles due to increased number of keratinocytes, reduction in the connective tissue content, and a thickening of the epidermis. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining of the epidermis from tail tissue in the transgenic mice indicated a loss of the cell adhesion markers E-cadherin and desmoplakin. These data suggest that keratinocyte expression of a CTD mutant of CXCR2 has effects on homeostasis of the connective tissue in the tail, as well as the maintenance of the epidermis and its appendages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingchun Yu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 23rd Ave. South at Pierce, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
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22
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Smith JC, Boone BE, Opalenik SR, Williams SM, Russell SB. Gene profiling of keloid fibroblasts shows altered expression in multiple fibrosis-associated pathways. J Invest Dermatol 2008; 128:1298-310. [PMID: 17989729 PMCID: PMC2933038 DOI: 10.1038/sj.jid.5701149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Keloids are benign tumors of the dermis that form during a protracted wound healing process. Susceptibility to keloid formation occurs predominantly in people of African and Asian descent. The key alteration(s) responsible for keloid formation has not been identified and there is no satisfactory treatment for this disorder. The altered regulatory mechanism is limited to dermal wound healing, although several diseases characterized by an exaggerated response to injury are prevalent in individuals of African ancestry. We have observed a complex pattern of phenotypic differences in keloid fibroblasts grown in standard culture medium or induced by hydrocortisone (HC). In this study Affymetrix-based microarray was performed on RNA obtained from fibroblasts cultured from normal scars and keloids grown in the absence and presence of HC. We observed differential regulation of approximately 500 genes of the 38,000 represented on the Affymetrix chip. Of particular interest was increased expression of several IGF-binding and IGF-binding-related proteins and decreased expression of a subset of Wnt pathway inhibitors and multiple IL-1-inducible genes. Increased expression of connective tissue growth factor and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 was observed in keloid fibroblasts only in the presence of HC. These findings support a role for multiple fibrosis-related pathways in the pathogenesis of keloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan C. Smith
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Surgery, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Braden E. Boone
- Vanderbilt Microarray Shared Resource, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Susan R. Opalenik
- Department of Pathology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Scott M. Williams
- Center for Human Genetics Research and Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Shirley B. Russell
- Center for Human Genetics Research and Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Middle Tennessee Research Institute, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN, USA
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23
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Caldwell RL, Opalenik SR, Davidson JM, Caprioli RM, Nanney LB. Tissue profiling MALDI mass spectrometry reveals prominent calcium-binding proteins in the proteome of regenerative MRL mouse wounds. Wound Repair Regen 2008; 16:442-9. [PMID: 18282264 PMCID: PMC2891803 DOI: 10.1111/j.1524-475x.2007.00351.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
MRL/MpJ-Fas(lpr) mice exhibit the ability to regenerate ear tissue excised by dermal punches. This is an exceptional model to identify candidate proteins that may regulate regeneration in typically nonregenerative tissues. Identification of key molecules involved in regeneration can broaden our understanding of the wound-healing process and generate novel therapeutic approaches. Tissue profiling by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry is a rapid, powerful proteomic tool that allows hundreds of proteins to be detected from specific regions of intact tissue specimens. To identify these candidate molecules, protein expression in ear punches was examined after 4 and 7 days using tissue profiling of MRL/MpJ-Fas(lpr) mice and the nonregenerative mouse strain C57BL/6J. Spectral analysis revealed distinct proteomic differences between the regenerative and nonregenerative phenotypes, including the calcium-binding proteins calgranulin A and B, calgizzarin, and calmodulin. Spatial distributions for these differentially expressed proteins within the injured regions were confirmed by immunohistochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert L. Caldwell
- Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - Susan R. Opalenik
- Department of Pathology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - Jeffrey M. Davidson
- Department of Pathology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
- Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - Richard M. Caprioli
- Mass Spectrometry Research Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - Lillian B. Nanney
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
- Medical Research Service, VA TVHS Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
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24
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Nanney LB, Caldwell RL, Pollins AC, Cardwell NL, Opalenik SR, Davidson JM. Novel approaches for understanding the mechanisms of wound repair. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc 2006; 11:132-9. [PMID: 17069021 DOI: 10.1038/sj.jidsymp.5650002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Mechanisms that drive wound repair are complex and have challenged wound-healing investigators for many years. In this review, we present four examples of new tools that are being utilized to discover events that drive wound repair and regeneration. Laser capture microdissection facilitates the focused collection of tissue for purposes of genomic or proteomic analysis from specific cell populations within the wound bed. Tissue profiling and protein imaging by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry are two proteomic-based tools that permit rapid analysis with spatial orientation and relative abundance of hundreds to thousands of molecules from intact tissues. Another approach uses an in vivo porcine model to harness a strategy of adenoviral-driven receptor overexpression. This biological model closely mimics the human setting and permits transient stimulation along a specific cytokine pathway to tip the balance in favor of accelerated repair. The advent of new approaches that collect cell samples from within their in vivo circumstance while preserving discrete cellular localizations is likely to move the field of wound repair forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lillian B Nanney
- Department of Plastic Surgery Research Laboratory, Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA.
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25
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Tang T, Shi Y, Opalenik SR, Brantley-Sieders DM, Chen J, Davidson JM, Brandt SJ. Expression of the TAL1/SCL transcription factor in physiological and pathological vascular processes. J Pathol 2006; 210:121-9. [PMID: 16841371 DOI: 10.1002/path.2028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The TAL1/SCL transcription factor is essential for haematopoietic commitment and vascular remodelling during embryonic development. To help clarify its role in postnatal vascular processes, we characterized the expression of mouse Tal1 protein by immunocytochemistry in several experimental models of blood vessel formation. In adult mice, Tal1 protein was expressed in rare microvascular endothelial cells and in extravascular cells provisionally identified as endothelial progenitors from their morphology, proximity to vessels and expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2. The number of Tal1-expressing endothelial cells increased significantly but transiently in all the models-hormone-induced ovulation, wound healing and tumour development. Finally, Tal1 protein was detected in the nuclei of newly formed lymphatic endothelial cells in tumour-bearing animals. These results show that TAL1 is expressed by vascular endothelial cells and endothelial progenitors at sites of physiological and pathological neovascularization and suggest a role for this transcription factor in adult vasculogenesis. This work also provides the first evidence for TAL1 expression in lymphangiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Tang
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
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26
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Abstract
Effective medical laser procedures are achieved by selecting laser parameters that minimize undesirable tissue damage. Traditionally, human subjects, animal models, and monolayer cell cultures have been used to study wound healing, tissue damage, and cellular effects of laser radiation. Each of these models has significant limitations, and consequently, a novel skin model is needed. To this end, a highly reproducible human skin model that enables noninvasive and longitudinal studies of gene expression was sought. In this study, we present an organotypic raft model (engineered skin) used in combination with bioluminescent imaging (BLI) techniques. The efficacy of the raft model was validated and characterized by investigating the role of heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) as a sensitive marker of thermal damage. The raft model consists of human cells incorporated into an extracellular matrix. The raft cultures were transfected with an adenovirus containing a murine hsp70 promoter driving transcription of luciferase. The model enables quantitative analysis of spatiotemporal expression of proteins using BLI. Thermal stress was induced on the raft cultures by means of a constant temperature water bath or with a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser (lambda=10.6 microm, 0.679 to 2.262 Wcm2, cw, unfocused Gaussian beam, omegaL=4.5 mm, 1 min exposure). The bioluminescence was monitored noninvasively with an IVIS 100 Bioluminescent Imaging System. BLI indicated that peak hsp70 expression occurs 4 to 12 h after exposure to thermal stress. A minimum irradiance of 0.679 Wcm2 activated the hsp70 response, and a higher irradiance of 2.262 Wcm2 was associated with a severe reduction in hsp70 response due to tissue ablation. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that hsp70 mRNA levels increased with prolonged heating exposures. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent protein assays confirmed that luciferase was an accurate surrogate for hsp70 intracellular protein levels. Hematoxylin and eosin stains verified the presence of the thermally denatured tissue regions. Immunohistochemical analyses confirmed that maximal hsp70 expression occurred at a depth of 150 microm. Bioluminescent microscopy was employed to corroborate these findings. These results indicate that quantitative BLI in engineered tissue equivalents provides a powerful model that enables sequential gene expression studies. Such a model can be used as a high throughput screening platform for laser-tissue interaction studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald J Wilmink
- Vanderbilt University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 5824 Stevenson Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, USA
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27
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Abstract
To examine the ontogeny of the wound fibroblast, bone marrow transplantation was performed to wild-type recipients from transgenic donors that express both the luciferase and beta-galactosidase reporter genes under transcriptional control of the promoter/enhancer for the alpha2 chain of type I collagen. Polyvinyl alcohol sponges were implanted to elicit a naïve granulation tissue response, removed at defined time points, and processed for nucleic acids and histochemistry. Quantitative PCR for the luciferase transgene demonstrated that donor-derived cells were present during inflammation, declined, and rebounded during later stages of tissue remodeling. Furthermore, quantitative RT-PCR revealed that bone marrow-derived collagen transcripts contributed significantly to the total collagen I alpha2 promoter activation during later stages of repair. beta-galactosidase staining revealed that indeed those cells which expressed the transgene exhibited a fibroblastic phenotype, co-localized with sites of active collagen deposition, and expressed fibroblast specific protein-1. These data strongly support the concept that the adult bone marrow compartment houses progenitors with the potential to migrate to sites of tissue damage, and participate in repair beyond inflammation as fibroblasts. Moreover, that bone marrow-derived fibroblasts make a substantial contribution to the formation of new connective tissue, including type I collagen, during wound repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan R Opalenik
- Department of Pathology, Vanderbilt University, Medical Center North, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2562, USA
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Shi Y, Reitmaier B, Regenbogen J, Slowey RM, Opalenik SR, Wolf E, Goppelt A, Davidson JM. CARP, a cardiac ankyrin repeat protein, is up-regulated during wound healing and induces angiogenesis in experimental granulation tissue. Am J Pathol 2005; 166:303-12. [PMID: 15632022 PMCID: PMC1602297 DOI: 10.1016/s0002-9440(10)62254-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cardiac ankyrin repeat protein (CARP) was identified by subtractive hybridization as one of a group of genes that are rapidly modulated by acute wounding of mouse skin. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that CARP was strongly induced during the first day after wounding (157.1-fold), and the high level persisted for up to 14 days. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization revealed that CARP was expressed in skeletal muscle, vessel wall, hair follicle, inflammatory cells, and epidermis in the wound area. To examine the effects of CARP on wound healing, we developed an adenoviral CARP vector to treat subcutaneously implanted sponges in either rats or Flk-1(LacZ) knock-in mice. Four days after infection, CARP-infected sponges in rats showed a remarkable increase in the vascular component in granulation tissue as compared to Ad-LacZ controls. This result was confirmed by CD34 immunostaining. By 7 days post-infection of sponge implants in Flk-1(LacZ) knock-in mice, granulation tissue showed many more LacZ-positive cells in Ad-CARP-infected sponges than in virus controls. Ad-CARP treatment also induced neovascularization and increased blood perfusion in rabbit excisional wounds in and ischemic rat wounds. These findings indicate that CARP could play a unique role in therapeutic angiogenesis during wound healing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yubin Shi
- Department of Pathology C3321 MCN, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-2562, USA
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29
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Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that glutathione (GSH) synthesis is a regulated process. Documented increases in gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCS) occur in response to oxidants, in tumors, on plating cells at a low cell density, and with nerve growth factor stimulation, suggesting that GSH synthesis may be related to the cell growth and transformation. Previously, extracellular acidic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-1) has been demonstrated to cause transformation and aggressive cell growth in murine embryonic fibroblasts. In the present investigation, we sought to determine whether FGF-1, with its growth inducing properties, resulted in the modulation of GSH biosynthetic enzymes, GCS and GSH synthetase. Murine fibroblasts transduced with (hst/KS)FGF-1, a chimeric human FGF-1 gene containing a signal peptide sequence for secretion, displayed elevated gene expression of both heavy and light subunits of GCS. Activity of GSH synthetase was also elevated in these cells compared with control cells. Nonetheless, GSH was decreased in the FGF-1-transduced cells along with high energy phosphates, adenine nucleotides, NADH, and the redox poise. However, GSSG was not elevated in these cells. Fibroblasts stably expressing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Tat, which induces intrinsic FGF-1 secretion, resulted in similar changes in GCS, GS, and GSH. The results suggest that although increases in the enzymes of GSH synthesis are a common response to growth factors, an increase in GSH content per se is not required for altered cell growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Choi
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, University of Southern California School of Pharmacy, Los Angeles, California, 90033, USA
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Stürzl M, Ascherl G, Blasig C, Opalenik SR, Ensoli B, Browning PJ. Expression of the human herpesvirus 8-encoded viral macrophage inflammatory protein-1 gene in Kaposi's sarcoma lesions. AIDS 1998; 12:1105-6. [PMID: 9662209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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31
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Opalenik SR, Ding Q, Mallery SR, Thompson JA. Glutathione depletion associated with the HIV-1 TAT protein mediates the extracellular appearance of acidic fibroblast growth factor. Arch Biochem Biophys 1998; 351:17-26. [PMID: 9501919 DOI: 10.1006/abbi.1997.0566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Primary murine embryonic fibroblasts transfected with HIV-1 TAT demonstrated decreased levels of high energy phosphates (ATP, GTP, UTP/CTP), adenine nucleotides (ATP, ADP, AMP), and both NAD+/NADH redox pairs, resulting in a substantial loss of redox poise. A greater than 50% decrease in intracellular reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration was accompanied by the extracellular appearance of acidic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-1). Addition of either N-acetyl-L-cysteine or glutathione ester (GSE), but not L-2-oxothiazolidine 4-carboxylate, partially restored intracellular GSH levels and resulted in loss of extracellular FGF-1. Treatment of FGF-1-transduced cells with buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) resulted in a time- and dose-dependent decrease in total cellular GSH concentration that was accompanied by the extracellular appearance of FGF-1. Inclusion of GSE during BSO treatment eliminated the extracellular appearance of FGF-1. BSO treatment of cells transfected with a mutant form of FGF-1, in which all three cysteine residues were replaced with serines, also decreased total cellular GSH concentration but failed to induce the extracellular appearance of FGF-1. Collectively, these results suggest that HIV-1 TAT induces a condition of oxidative stress, which mediates cellular secretion of FGF-1, an observation relevant to the pathophysiologic development and progression of AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- S R Opalenik
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294, USA
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32
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Davis MA, Stürzl MA, Blasig C, Schreier A, Guo HG, Reitz M, Opalenik SR, Browning PJ. Expression of human herpesvirus 8-encoded cyclin D in Kaposi's sarcoma spindle cells. J Natl Cancer Inst 1997; 89:1868-74. [PMID: 9414174 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/89.24.1868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) DNA sequences have been detected in Kaposi's sarcoma, in primary effusion lymphoma (an unusual high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma seen primarily in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [AIDS]), and in Castleman's disease (a rare lymphoproliferative disorder); however, proof that HHV-8 is involved in the pathogenesis of these diseases remains to be established. HHV-8 contains a gene, i.e., v-cyclin D, that is a homologue of the cellular cyclin D2 gene, which encodes a protein that promotes passage through G1 phase of the cell cycle. Previous studies have identified v-cyclin D messenger RNA (mRNA) in biopsy specimens of Kaposi's sarcoma. In this study, we isolated a full-length v-cyclin D complementary DNA and characterized the pattern of v-cyclin D mRNA expression in Kaposi's sarcoma. METHODS Standard methods were used to construct and to screen HHV-8 genomic and complementary DNA libraries. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) methods and in situ hybridization with RNA probes were used to examine v-cyclin D mRNA expression. RESULTS RT-PCR demonstrated the presence of v-cyclin D mRNA in biopsy specimens of AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma, in early-passage spindle cells from classical (i.e., not AIDS-related) Kaposi's sarcoma, and in spindle cells isolated from the peripheral blood of patients with AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma. In situ hybridization indicated that mRNAs for v-cyclin D and kaposin, an HHV-8 latency-associated gene, were present in approximately 1% of the spindle cells in early patch lesions and approximately 60% of the spindle cells in late nodular lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma. CONCLUSIONS Spindle cells of Kaposi's sarcoma, which have been regarded as the tumor cells of this cancer, contain v-cyclin D mRNA. Expression of v-cyclin D protein may be involved in the pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma by promoting cell proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Davis
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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Hicks KK, Shin JT, Opalenik SR, Thompson JA. Molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis: experimental models define cellular trafficking of FGF-1. P R Health Sci J 1996; 15:179-86. [PMID: 8994282] [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] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Numerous studies have established that stimulation of cell growth by members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family of polypeptides is dependent upon an extracellular pathway. Acidic FGF (FGF-1), however, lacks a classical signal sequence for secretion, thereby making it difficult to evaluate regulation of biological activity by this growth factor. Efforts in this laboratory have utilized molecular techniques of retrovirology and transgenic modeling to introduce cDNA sequences encoding either an intracellular or extracellular form of FGF-1 into primary diploid cells to examine trafficking and compartmentalization of FGF-1. Several lines of evidence obtained from these models provide a compelling argument that the stimulation of FGF-1-associated cellular transformation is restricted to an extracellular, receptor-mediated pathway, involving protein tyrosine phosphorylation and nuclear localization. In addition, an unconventional secretion pathway for intracellular FGF-1 has been identified that involves mechanisms associated with oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- K K Hicks
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama, Birmingham School of Medicine 35294, USA
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Shin JT, Opalenik SR, Wehby JN, Mahesh VK, Jackson A, Tarantini F, Maciag T, Thompson JA. Serum-starvation induces the extracellular appearance of FGF-1. Biochim Biophys Acta 1996; 1312:27-38. [PMID: 8679713 DOI: 10.1016/0167-4889(96)00013-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Autocrine/paracrine stimulation of cell growth by members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family of polypeptides is dependent upon extracellular interactions with specific high affinity receptors at the cell surface. Acidic FGF (FGF-1) lacks a classical signal sequence for secretion, suggesting that intrinsic levels of this mitogen may not stimulate cell growth and utilizes a non-classical pathway to gain access to the extracellular compartment. To evaluate the biological potential of intracellular FGF-1 more rigorously, human cDNA sequences for the growth factor were introduced into primary murine embryonic fibroblasts using retrovirally mediated gene transfer. Heparin affinity, Western analysis, mitogenic assays, in situ immunohistochemical techniques, induction of tyrosine phosphorylation and antibody inhibition studies were used to demonstrate functionality of the FGF-1 transgene in this experimental model. Under normal culture conditions, cells constitutively expressing intracellular FGF-1 exhibited a slight growth advantage. In contrast, when maintained in reduced serum, these cells adopted a transformed phenotype and demonstrated an enhanced growth potential, induction of FGF-specific phosphotyrosyl proteins and the nuclear association of the growth factor. Analysis of the conditioned media from these stressed cells indicated that serum starvation induces the secretion of FGF-1 as latent high molecular mass complexes requiring reducing agents to activate its full biological potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- J T Shin
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294, USA
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35
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Opalenik SR, Shin JT, Wehby JN, Mahesh VK, Thompson JA. The HIV-1 TAT protein induces the expression and extracellular appearance of acidic fibroblast growth factor. J Biol Chem 1995; 270:17457-67. [PMID: 7542239 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.270.29.17457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Mounting experimental evidence suggests that the TAT protein, released from human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1)-infected inflammatory cells, may genetically reprogram targeted cells within a localized environment to develop highly vascularized tumors of mesenchymal origin. The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family of polypeptides has gained general acceptance as initiators of angiogenesis and functions as potent mitogens for mesoderm-derived cells. To evaluate a potential biological relationship between TAT and acidic FGF (FGF-1), primary murine embryonic fibroblasts either were transfected with the viral transactivator or were transduced (retrovirally mediated) with a secreted, chimeric form of the human polypeptide growth factor, human stomach tumor/Kaposi's sarcoma (hst/KS)FGF-1. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, in situ immunohistochemical, heparin affinity, DNA synthesis, and transient transfection techniques were used to confirm expression, localization, and functionality of the transgenes. Both transfected and transduced cells constitutively expressing either TAT or (hst/KS)FGF-1 adopted a transformed phenotype, maintained aggressive growth behavior, and demonstrated both induction of FGF-specific phosphotyrosyl proteins and nuclear association of FGF-1 and FGF-1 receptor. Increased levels of endogenous, murine FGF-1 mRNA (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) and protein (immunoblot analysis) were apparent in both (hst/KS)FGF-1- and TAT-transformed cells. Medium conditioned by (hst/KS)FGF-1-transduced cells contained steady-state levels of biologically active FGF-1 which exhibited a representative molecular weight. Limited sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis of the conditioned medium from TAT-transformed cells demonstrated the appearance of FGF-1 as latent, high molecular weight complexes requiring reducing agents to activate full biological activity. Collectively, these results suggest that TAT induces the expression and secretion of FGF-1, which may be potentially relevant to the pathophysiological development of AIDS-Kaposi's sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- S R Opalenik
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294, USA
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36
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Imamura T, Friedman SA, Gamble S, Tokita Y, Opalenik SR, Thompson JA, Maciag T. Identification of the domain within fibroblast growth factor-1 responsible for heparin-dependence. Biochim Biophys Acta 1995; 1266:124-30. [PMID: 7742376 DOI: 10.1016/0167-4889(95)00009-h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
While the prototype members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family, FGF-1 and FGF-2 are structurally related, the structural differences between these polypeptides predict that they will ultimately exhibit different biological roles. Indeed, a significant difference between these proteins is the dependence of FGF-1 on heparin for the generation of maximal mitogenic activity. In order to gain structural insight into the issue of FGF-1 heparin-dependence, a synthetic gene encoding FGF-2 was constructed with oligonucleotides in a four-cassette format similar to a synthetic gene previously constructed for FGF-1 (Forough et al. 1992, Biochem. Biophys. Acta 1090 293-298). This strategy permitted the molecular shuffling of corresponding cassette(s) between FGF-1 and FGF-2 to yield FGF-1:FGF-2 chimeras. Three amino acid changes (Lys86-->Glu, Tyr120-->His, and Thr121-->Ala) were introduced into the synthetic FGF-2 gene by the cassette format to generate convenient FGF-1 restriction sites, but these alterations did not significantly affect the mitogenic activity or the heparin-binding affinity of the recombinant FGF-2 protein when compared with native FGF-2. Among the various FGF-1:FGF-2 chimeric constructs, one designated FGF-C(1(1/2)1 1), which represents FGF-1 containing FGF-2 amino acid residues 65 to 81, displayed FGF-1-like heparin-binding affinity but it did not require the addition of exogenous heparin to manifest its mitogenic activity. These data suggest that the sequence within residues 65 and 81 from FGF-2 significantly contributes to the heparin-dependent character of FGF-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Imamura
- Department of Molecular Biology, Holland Laboratory, American Red Cross, Rockville, MD 20855, USA
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