Differentiated neuroblastoma cells remain epigenetically poised for de-differentiation to an immature state

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor of childhood and accounts for a significant share of childhood cancer deaths. Prior studies utilizing RNA sequencing of bulk tumor populations showed two predominant cell states characterized by high and low expression of neuronal genes. Although cells respond to treatment by altering their gene expression, it is unclear whether this reflects shifting balances of distinct subpopulations or plasticity of individual cells. Using mouse and human neuroblastoma cell lines lacking MYCN amplification, we show that the antigen CD49b (also known as ITGA2) distinguishes these subpopulations. CD49b expression marked proliferative cells with an immature gene expression program, whereas CD49b-negative cells expressed differentiated neuronal marker genes and were non-cycling. Sorted populations spontaneously switched between CD49b expression states in culture, and CD49b-negative cells could generate rapidly growing, CD49b-positive tumors in mice. Although treatment with the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin selectively killed CD49b-positive cells in culture, the CD49b-positive population recovered when treatment was withdrawn. We profiled histone 3 (H3) lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac) to identify enhancers and super enhancers that were specifically active in each population and found that CD49b-negative cells maintained the priming H3 lysine 4 methylation (H3K4me1) mark at elements that were active in cells with high expression of CD49b. Improper maintenance of primed enhancer elements might thus underlie cellular plasticity in neuroblastoma, representing potential therapeutic targets for this lethal tumor.

Modelling the disease: H2S-sensitivity and drug-resistance of triple negative breast cancer cells can be modulated by embedding in isotropic micro-environment

Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture systems provide more physiologically relevant information, representing more accurately the actual microenvironment where cells reside in tissues. However, the differences between the tissue culture plate (TCP) and 3D culture systems in terms of tumour cell growth, proliferation, migration, differentiation and response to the treatment have not been fully elucidated. Tumoroid microspheres containing the MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cell line were prepared using either tunable PEG-fibrinogen (PFs) or tunable PEG-silk fibroin (PSFs) hydrogels, respectively named MDAPFs and MDAPSFs. The cancer cells in the tumoroids showed changes both in globular morphology and at the protein expression level. A decrease of both Histone H3 acetylation and cyclin D1 expression in all 3D systems, compared to the 2D cell culture, was detected in parallel to changes of the matrix stiffness. The effects of a glutathionylated garlic extract (GSGa), a slow H2S-releasing donor, were investigated on both tumoroid systems. A pro-apoptotic effect of GSGa on tumour cell growth in 2D culture was observed as opposed to a pro-proliferative effect apparent in both MDAPFs and MDAPSFs. A dedicated ad hoc 3D cell migration chip was designed and optimized for studying tumour cell invasion in a gel-in-gel configuration. An anti-cell-invasion effect of the GSGa was observed in the 2D cell culture, whereas a pro-migratory effect in both MDAPFs and MDAPSFs was observed in the 3D cell migration chip assay. An increase of cyclin D1 expression after GSGa treatment was observed in agreement with an increase of the cell invasion index. Our results suggest that the "dimensionality" and the stiffness of the 3D cell culture milieu can change the response to both the gasotransmitter H2S and doxorubicin due to differences in both H2S diffusion and changes in protein expression. Moreover, we uncovered a direct relation between the cyclin D1 expression and the stiffness of the 3D cell culture milieu, suggesting the potential causal involvement of the cyclin D1 as a bio-marker for sensitivity of the tumour cells to their matrix stiffness. Therefore, our hydrogel-based tumoroids represent a valid tunable model for studying the physically induced transdifferentiation (PiT) of cancer cells and as a more reliable and predictive in vitro screening platform to investigate the effects of anti-tumour drugs.

Combination of CD49b and CD229 Reveals a Subset of Multipotent Progenitors With Short-Term Activity Within the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Compartment

Hematopoiesis is maintained by hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that replenish all blood lineages throughout life. It is well-established that the HSC pool is functionally heterogeneous consisting of cells differing in longevity, self-renewal ability, cell proliferation, and lineage differentiation. Although HSCs can be identified through the Lineage-Sca-1+c-Kit+CD48-CD34-CD150+ immunophenotype, the cell surface marker combination does not permit absolute purification of functional HSCs with long-term reconstituting ability. Therefore, prospective isolation of long-term HSCs is crucial for mechanistic understanding of the biological functions of HSCs and for resolving functional heterogeneity within the HSC population. Here, we show that the combination of CD229 and CD49b cell surface markers within the phenotypic HSC compartment identifies a subset of multipotent progenitor (MPP) cells with high proliferative activity and short-term reconstituting ability. Thus, the addition of CD229 and CD49b to conventional HSC markers permits prospective isolation of functional HSCs by distinguishing MPPs in the HSC compartment.

CD49b Targeting Inhibits Tumor Growth and Boosts Anti-tumor Immunity

The suppressive function of T-regulatory cells (Tregs) can have a detrimental effect on immune responses against tumor cells. Within the Treg cells subset, a new non-classical population has been reported, which expresses high levels of CD49b molecule and, depending on their activation status, can also express the canonical Tregs transcription factor Foxp3. In this report, we sought to characterize Tregs subsets in a murine melanoma model and disrupt the CD49b/CD29 axis by administering an anti-CD29 antibody in tumor-bearing mice. Our data shows that whereas in the draining lymph nodes, the Tr1 cells subset composes <5% of CD4+ T cells, in the tumor, they reach ∼30% of CD4+ T cells. Furthermore, Tr1 cells share the expression of suppressive molecules, such as Nrp-1, PD-1, and CD73, which are highly expressed on Tr1 cells found in tumor-infiltrating leukocytes (TILs). Regardless of the phenotypic similarities with cTreg cells, Tr1 cells display a low proliferative activity, as shown in the kinetics and the incorporation of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) experiments. With the intent to impact on Tr1 cells, we administered anti-CD29 antibody into tumor mice, observing that the treatment effectively inhibits tumor growth. This effect is at least mediated by the enrichment of pro-inflammatory T cells, including IFN-γ+ cTreg and IFN-γ+ Tr1 cells (with reduced expression of IL-10), plus Th1 and Tc cells. In this study, we present Tr1 cell characterization in tumor-bearing animals and introduce CD29 as a target for tumor therapy, supported by a meta-analysis indicating that CD29 is present in human biopsies.

CD49b identifies functionally and epigenetically distinct subsets of lineage-biased hematopoietic stem cells

Hematopoiesis is maintained by functionally diverse lineage-biased hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The functional significance of HSC heterogeneity and the regulatory mechanisms underlying lineage bias are not well understood. However, absolute purification of HSC subtypes with a pre-determined behavior remains challenging, highlighting the importance of continued efforts toward prospective isolation of homogeneous HSC subsets. In this study, we demonstrate that CD49b subdivides the most primitive HSC compartment into functionally distinct subtypes: CD49b⁻ HSCs are highly enriched for myeloid-biased and the most durable cells, while CD49b⁺ HSCs are enriched for multipotent cells with lymphoid bias and reduced self-renewal ability. We further demonstrate considerable transcriptional similarities between CD49b⁻ and CD49b⁺ HSCs but distinct differences in chromatin accessibility. Our studies highlight the diversity of HSC functional behaviors and provide insights into the molecular regulation of HSC heterogeneity through transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms.

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CD49b⁻ HSCs are highly enriched for durable and long-term myeloid-biased HSCs

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CD49b⁺ HSCs are enriched for less durable cells with lymphoid bias

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CD49b⁻ and CD49b⁺ HSCs are transcriptionally similar but epigenetically distinct

E-Cadherin, Integrin Alpha2 (Cd49b), and Transferrin Receptor-1 (Tfr1) Are Promising Immunohistochemical Markers of Selected Adverse Pathological Features in Patients Treated with Radical Prostatectomy

In patients treated for prostate cancer (PCa) with radical prostatectomy (RP), determining the risk of extraprostatic extension (EPE) and nodal involvement (NI) remains crucial for planning nerve-sparing and extended lymphadenectomy. The study aimed to determine proteins that could serve as immunohistochemical markers of locally advanced PCa. To select candidate proteins associated with adverse pathologic features (APF) reverse-phase protein array data of 498 patients was retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The analysis yielded 6 proteins which were then validated as predictors of APF utilizing immunohistochemistry in a randomly selected retrospective cohort of 53 patients. For univariate and multivariate analysis, logistic regression was used. Positive expression of TfR1 (OR 13.74; p = 0.015), reduced expression of CD49b (OR 10.15; p = 0.013), and PSA (OR 1.29; p = 0.013) constituted independent predictors of EPE, whereas reduced expression of e-cadherin (OR 10.22; p = 0.005), reduced expression of CD49b (OR 24.44; p = 0.017), and PSA (OR 1.18; p = 0.002) were independently associated with NI. Both models achieved high discrimination (AUROC 0.879 and 0.888, respectively). Immunohistochemistry constitutes a straightforward tool that might be easily utilized before RP. Expression of TfR1 and CD49b is associated with EPE, whereas expression of e-cadherin and CD49b is associated with NI. Since following immunohistochemical markers predicts respective APFs independently from PSA, in the future they might supplement existing preoperative nomograms or be implemented in novel tools.

ITGA2 promotes expression of ACLY and CCND1 in enhancing breast cancer stemness and metastasis

Cancer metastasis is largely incurable and accounts for 90% of breast cancer deaths, especially for the aggressive basal-like or triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Combining patient database analyses and functional studies, we examined the association of integrin family members with clinical outcomes as well as their connection with previously identified microRNA regulators of metastasis, such as miR-206 that inhibits stemness and metastasis of TNBC. Here we report that the integrin receptor CD49b-encoding ITGA2, a direct target of miR-206, promotes breast cancer stemness and metastasis. ITGA2 knockdown suppressed self-renewal related mammosphere formation and pluripotency marker expression, inhibited cell cycling, compromised migration and invasion, and therefore decreased lung metastasis of breast cancer. ITGA2 overexpression reversed miR-206-caused cell cycle arrest in G1. RNA sequencing analyses revealed that ITGA2 knockdown inhibits genes related to cell cycle regulation and lipid metabolism, including CCND1 and ACLY as representative targets, respectively. Knockdown of CCND1 or ACLY inhibits mammosphere formation of breast cancer cells. Overexpression of CCND1 rescues the phenotype of ITGA2 knockdown-induced cell cycle arrest. ACLY-encoded ATP citrate lyase is essential to maintain cellular acetyl-CoA levels. CCND1 knockdown further mimics ITGA2 knockdown in abolishing lung colonization of breast cancer cells. We identified that the low levels of miR-206 as well as high expression levels of ITGA2, ACLY and CCND1 are associated with an unfavorable relapse-free survival of the patients with estrogen receptor-negative or high grade breast cancer, especially basal-like or TNBC, possibly serving as potential biomarkers of cancer stemness and therapeutic targets of breast cancer metastasis.

Comparative analysis of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, articular cartilage derived chondroprogenitors and chondrocytes to determine cell superiority for cartilage regeneration

INTRODUCTION

Chondroprogenitors, a promising therapeutic modality in cell-based therapy, are routinely isolated from articular cartilage by fibronectin differential adhesion assay. However, there is paucity of information regarding their biological profile and the lack of a marker that can reliably distinguish them from cultured chondrocytes due to possible dedifferentiation. Since chondroprogenitors have been classified as mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs), the aim of our study was to compare bone marrow-MSCs, chondroprogenitors and chondrocytes, and assess superiority for cartilage repair. An additional objective was to also compare CD49b as a differentiating marker for isolating chondroprogenitors as a recent report demonstrated significantly high expression in the surfaceome of migratory articular chondroprogenitors.

METHODS

Bone marrow aspirate and articular cartilage was obtained from three osteoarthritic knee joints. Study arms included a) bone marrow-MSCs, b) chondroprogenitors, c) cultured chondrocytes, d) chondrocytes cultured with additional growth factors and e) CD49b + sorted chondroprogenitors. Assessment parameters included population doubling, surface expression for positive, negative MSC markers and potential markers of chondrogenesis (CD29, CD49e, CD49b, CD166 and CD146), RT-PCR for markers of chondrogenesis and hypertrophy and trilineage differentiation.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Chondroprogenitors exhibited efficient chondrogenesis (SOX-9 and COL2A1) and significantly lower tendency for hypertrophy (RUNX2), which was also reflected in trilineage differentiation where progenitors displayed minimal calcified matrix, efficient glycosaminoglycan deposition and high collagen type II uptake. CD49b did not serve as a marker for isolation as sorted chondroprogenitors performed significantly poorer when compared to fibronectin assay derived cells. Emphasis on preclinical studies utilizing progenitors of higher purity is the future direction.

CD49b, CD87, and CD95 Are Markers for Activated Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Whereas CD39 Marks Quiescent Normal Fibroblasts in Murine Tumor Models

Fibroblasts are thought to be key players in the tumor microenvironment. Means to identify and isolate fibroblasts as well as an understanding of their cancer-specific features are essential to dissect their role in tumor biology. To date, the identification of cancer-associated fibroblasts is widely based on generic markers for activated fibroblasts in combination with their origin in tumor tissue. This study was focused on a deep characterization of the cell surface marker profile of cancer-associated fibroblasts in widely used mouse tumor models and defining aberrant expression profiles by comparing them to their healthy counterparts. We established a generic workflow to isolate healthy and cancer-associated fibroblasts from solid tissues, thereby reducing bias, and background noise introduced by non-target cells. We identified CD87, CD44, CD49b, CD95, and Ly-6C as cancer-associated fibroblast cell surface markers, while CD39 was identified to mark normal fibroblasts from healthy tissues. In addition, we found a functional association of most cancer-related fibroblast markers to proliferation and a systemic upregulation of CD87, and CD49b in tumor-bearing mice, even in non-affected tissues. These novel markers will facilitate the characterization of fibroblasts and shed further light in their functions and implication in cancer progression.

Regulation and functions of integrin α2 in cell adhesion and disease

Integrins are cell adhesion molecules that are composed of an alpha (α) subunit and a beta (β) subunit with affinity for different extracellular membrane components. The integrin family includes 24 known members that actively regulate cellular growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. Each integrin heterodimer has a particular function in defined contexts as well as some partially overlapping features with other members in the family. As many reviews have covered the general integrin family in molecular and cellular studies in life science, this review will focus on the specific regulation, function, and signaling of integrin α2 subunit (CD49b, VLA-2; encoded by the gene ITGA2) in partnership with β1 (CD29) subunit in normal and cancer cells. Its roles in cell adhesion, cell motility, angiogenesis, stemness, and immune/blood cell regulations are discussed. The pivotal role of integrin α2 in many diseases such as cancer suggests its potential to be used as a novel therapeutic target.

Formation and phenotypic characterization of CD49a, CD49b and CD103 expressing CD8 T cell populations in human metastatic melanoma

Integrins α1β1 (CD49a), α2β1 (CD49b) and αEβ7 (CD103) mediate retention of lymphocytes in peripheral tissues, and their expression is upregulated on tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) compared to circulating lymphocytes. Little is known about what induces expression of these retention integrins (RI) nor whether RI define subsets in the tumor microenvironment (TME) with a specific phenotype. Human metastatic melanoma-derived CD8 TIL could be grouped into five subpopulations based on RI expression patterns: RI^neg, CD49a⁺ only, CD49a⁺CD49b⁺, CD49a⁺CD103⁺, or positive for all three RI. A significantly larger fraction of the CD49a⁺ only subpopulation expressed multiple effector cytokines, whereas CD49a⁺CD103⁺ and CD49a⁺CD49b⁺ cells expressed IFNγ only. RI^neg and CD49a⁺CD49b⁺CD103⁺ CD8 TIL subsets expressed significantly less effector cytokines overall. Interestingly, however, CD49a⁺CD49b⁺CD103⁺ CD8 expressed lowest CD127, and highest levels of perforin and exhaustion markers PD-1 and Tim3, suggesting selective exhaustion rather than conversion to memory. To gain insight into RI expression induction, normal donor PBMC were cultured with T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation and/or cytokines. TCR stimulation alone induced two RI⁺ cell populations: CD49a single positive and CD49a⁺CD49b⁺ cells. TNFα and IL-2 each were capable of inducing these populations. Addition of TGFβ to TCR stimulation generated two additional populations; CD49a⁺CD49b^negCD103⁺ and CD49a⁺CD49b⁺CD103^+. Taken together, our findings identify opportunities to modulate RI expression in the TME by cytokine therapies and to generate subsets with a specific RI repertoire in the interest of augmenting immune therapies for cancer or for modulating other immune-related diseases such as autoimmune diseases.

CD49b inhibits osteogenic differentiation and plays an important role in osteosarcoma progression

Osteosarcoma is a cancer whose cell of origin lies in the differentiation pathway between the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) and the osteoblast (OB). In this study, we sought to determine if surface markers associated with osteoblastic differentiation are involved in osteosarcoma progression. cDNA expression arrays were performed on MSCs and osteoblasts to identify differentially expressed genes. The specificity of candidate genes for osteoblast differentiation was assessed through time course experiments in differentiation media with confirmation utilizing CD49b transfected MSCs. In addition, CD49b was transfected into osteosarcoma cell lines to determine its impact on cell proliferation, motility, and invasion. Finally, the expression of CD49b was assessed in osteosarcoma patient samples and correlated with survival outcomes. cDNA expression arrays identified a list of genes differentially expressed between MSCs and osteoblasts with a subset of those genes encoding cell surface proteins. Three genes were selected for further analysis, based on qPCR validation, but only CD49b was selective for osteoblastic differentiation. Forced expression of CD49b in MSCs led to delayed osteoblastic differentiation. Down-regulation of CD49b expression in osteosarcoma cell lines resulted in inhibition of their migration and invasion capacity. CD49b expression in osteosarcoma patients was associated with presence of metastases and inferior 5 year overall survival (31.4% vs. 57.4%, p=0.03). Surface proteins involved in osteosarcoma cell differentiation, such as CD49b, have the potential to serve as prognostic biomarkers, and may lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets.

Peanut-specific type 1 regulatory T cells induced in vitro from allergic subjects are functionally impaired

BACKGROUND

Peanut allergy (PA) is a life-threatening condition that lacks regulator-approved treatment. Regulatory T type 1 (T_R1) cells are potent suppressors of immune responses and can be induced in vivo upon repeated antigen exposure or in vitro by using tolerogenic dendritic cells. Whether oral immunotherapy (OIT) leads to antigen-specific T_R1 cell induction has not been established.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to determine whether peanut-specific T_R1 cells can be generated in vitro from peripheral blood of patients with PA at baseline or during OIT and whether they are functional compared with peanut-specific T_R1 cells induced from healthy control (HC) subjects.

METHODS

Tolerogenic dendritic cells were differentiated in the presence of IL-10 from PBMCs of patients with PA and HC subjects pulsed with the main peanut allergens of Arachis hypogaea, Ara h 1 and 2, and used as antigen-presenting cells for autologous CD4⁺ T cells (CD4⁺ T cells coincubated with tolerogenic dendritic cells pulsed with the main peanut allergens [pea-T10 cells]). Pea-T10 cells were characterized by the presence of CD49b⁺ lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG3)⁺ T_R1 cells, antigen-specific proliferative responses, and cytokine production.

RESULTS

CD49b⁺LAG3⁺ T_R1 cells were induced in pea-T10 cells at comparable percentages from HC subjects and patients with PA. Despite their antigen specificity, pea-T10 cells of patients with PA with or without OIT, as compared with those of HC subjects, were not anergic and had high T_H2 cytokine production upon peanut-specific restimulation.

CONCLUSIONS

Peanut-specific T_R1 cells can be induced from HC subjects and patients with PA, but those from patients with PA are functionally defective independent of OIT. The unfavorable T_R1/T_H2 ratio is discussed as a possible cause of PA T_R1 cell impairment.

CD49b/CD69-Dependent Generation of Resting T Helper Cell Memory

In the absence of antigen, memory T helper (Th) cells are maintained in a resting state. Recently it has been shown that bone marrow (BM) is a major reservoir of resting memory Th cells. In a given immune response, less than 10% of the activated CD4 T cells are recruited to the pool of resting BM memory Th cells. Here we review recent evidence that CD69 and CD49b control homing of memory Th cell precursors to the BM. During the effector phase of an immune response, about 10% of activated CD4 T cells in the spleen express both CD69 and CD49b, and thus qualify as precursors of resting memory Th cells of BM. Loss or blockade of CD69 and CD49b expression on CD4 T cells impairs the generation of resting memory Th cells in the BM. Moreover, in the absence of BM memory Th cells in CD69-deficient mice, T-cell help for B cells is impaired, confirming the central role of BM memory Th cells in the maintenance of immunological memory.