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Hoover AR, More S, Liu K, West CL, Valerio TI, Furrer CL, Adams JP, Yu N, Villalva C, Kumar A, Alleruzzo L, Lam SSK, Hode T, Papin JF, Chen WR. N-dihydrogalactochitosan serves as an effective mucosal adjuvant for intranasal vaccine in combination with recombinant viral proteins against respiratory infection. Acta Biomater 2024; 175:279-292. [PMID: 38160856 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.12.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Mucosal vaccinations for respiratory pathogens provide effective protection as they stimulate localized cellular and humoral immunities at the site of infection. Currently, the major limitation of intranasal vaccination is using effective adjuvants capable of withstanding the harsh environment imposed by the mucosa. Herein, we describe the efficacy of using a unique biopolymer, N-dihydrogalactochitosan (GC), as a nasal mucosal vaccine adjuvant against respiratory infections. Specifically, we mixed GC with recombinant SARS-CoV-2 trimeric spike (S) and nucleocapsid (NC) proteins to intranasally vaccinate K18-hACE2 transgenic mice, in comparison with Addavax (AV), an MF-59 equivalent. In contrast to AV, intranasal application of GC induces a robust, systemic antigen-specific antibody response and increases the number of T cells in the cervical lymph nodes. Moreover, GC+S+NC-vaccinated animals were largely resistant to the lethal SARS-CoV-2 challenge and experienced drastically reduced morbidity and mortality, with animal weights and behavior returning to normal 22 days post-infection. In contrast, animals intranasally vaccinated with AV+S+NC experienced severe weight loss, mortality, and respiratory distress, with none surviving beyond 6 days post-infection. Our findings demonstrate that GC can serve as a potent mucosal vaccine adjuvant against SARS-CoV-2 and potentially other respiratory viruses. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: We demonstrated that a unique biopolymer, N-dihydrogalactochitosan (GC), was an effective nasal mucosal vaccine adjuvant against respiratory infections. Specifically, we mixed GC with recombinant SARS-CoV-2 trimeric spike (S) and nucleocapsid (NC) proteins to intranasally vaccinate K18-hACE2 transgenic mice, in comparison with Addavax (AV). In contrast to AV, GC induces a robust, systemic antigen-specific antibody response and increases the number of T cells in the cervical lymph nodes. About 90 % of the GC+S+NC-vaccinated animals survived the lethal SARS-CoV-2 challenge and remained healthy 22 days post-infection, while the AV+S+NC-vaccinated animals experienced severe weight loss and respiratory distress, and all died within 6 days post-infection. Our findings demonstrate that GC is a potent mucosal vaccine adjuvant against SARS-CoV-2 and potentially other respiratory viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley R Hoover
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA; Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Sunil More
- Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK USA
| | - Kaili Liu
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Connor L West
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Trisha I Valerio
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Coline L Furrer
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Jacob P Adams
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Ningli Yu
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Crystal Villalva
- Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK USA
| | - Amit Kumar
- Biogen Inc., 225 Bnney Street, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lu Alleruzzo
- Immunophotonics, Inc., 4340 Duncan Avenue, Suite 212, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Samuel S K Lam
- Immunophotonics, Inc., 4340 Duncan Avenue, Suite 212, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Tomas Hode
- Immunophotonics, Inc., 4340 Duncan Avenue, Suite 212, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - James F Papin
- Department Pathology and Division of Comparative Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, USA
| | - Wei R Chen
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA.
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Weiss CM, Liu H, Ball EE, Hoover AR, Wong TS, Wong CF, Lam S, Hode T, Keel MK, Levenson RM, Chen WR, Coffey LL. N-dihydrogalactochitosan reduces mortality in a lethal mouse model of SARS-CoV-2. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289139. [PMID: 37552656 PMCID: PMC10409267 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289139] [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: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid emergence and global dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 continues to cause an unprecedented global health burden resulting in nearly 7 million deaths. While multiple vaccine countermeasures have been approved for emergency use, additional treatments are still needed due to sluggish vaccine rollout, vaccine hesitancy, and inefficient vaccine-mediated protection. Immunoadjuvant compounds delivered intranasally can guide non-specific innate immune responses during the critical early stages of viral replication, reducing morbidity and mortality. N-dihydrogalactochitosan (GC) is a novel mucoadhesive immunostimulatory polymer of β-0-4-linked N-acetylglucosamine that is solubilized by the conjugation of galactose glycans with current applications as a cancer immunotherapeutic. We tested GC as a potential countermeasure for COVID-19. GC was well-tolerated and did not produce histopathologic lesions in the mouse lung. GC administered intranasally before and after SARS-CoV-2 exposure diminished morbidity and mortality in humanized ACE2 receptor expressing mice by up to 75% and reduced infectious virus levels in the upper airway. Fluorescent labeling of GC shows that it is confined to the lumen or superficial mucosa of the nasal cavity, without involvement of adjacent or deeper tissues. Our findings demonstrate a new application for soluble immunoadjuvants such as GC for preventing disease associated with SARS-CoV-2 and may be particularly attractive to persons who are needle-averse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M. Weiss
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Hongwei Liu
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Erin E. Ball
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Ashley R. Hoover
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Talia S. Wong
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Chun Fung Wong
- Immunophotonics, Inc., Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Samuel Lam
- Immunophotonics, Inc., Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Tomas Hode
- Immunophotonics, Inc., Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - M. Kevin Keel
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Richard M. Levenson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UC Davis Health, Sacramento, California, United States of America
| | - Wei R. Chen
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Lark L. Coffey
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
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Liu K, Sadeghipour N, Hoover AR, Valero TI, Furrer C, Adams J, Naqash AR, Zhao M, Papin JF, Chen WR. Single-cell transcriptomics reveals that tumor-infiltrating natural killer cells are activated by localized ablative immunotherapy and share anti-tumor signatures induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors. bioRxiv 2023:2023.05.02.539163. [PMID: 37205468 PMCID: PMC10187236 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.02.539163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Rationale Natural killer (NK) cells provide protective anti-cancer immunity. However, the cancer therapy induced activation gene signatures and pathways in NK cells remain unclear. Methods We applied a novel localized ablative immunotherapy (LAIT) by synergizing photothermal therapy (PTT) with intra-tumor delivering of the immunostimulant N-dihydrogalactochitosan (GC), to treat breast cancer using a mammary tumor virus-polyoma middle tumor-antigen (MMTV-PyMT) mouse model. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) analysis to unveil the cellular heterogeneity and compare the transcriptional alterations induced by PTT, GC, and LAIT in NK cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Results ScRNAseq showed that NK subtypes, including cycling, activated, interferon-stimulated, and cytotoxic NK cells. Trajectory analysis revealed a route toward activation and cytotoxicity following pseudotime progression. Both GC and LAIT elevated gene expression associated with NK cell activation, cytolytic effectors, activating receptors, IFN pathway components, and cytokines/chemokines in NK subtypes. Single-cell transcriptomics analysis using immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-treated animal and human samples revealed that ICI-induced NK activation and cytotoxicity across several cancer types. Furthermore, ICI-induced NK gene signatures were also induced by LAIT treatment. We also discovered that several types of cancer patients had significantly longer overall survival when they had higher expression of genes in NK cells that were also specifically upregulated by LAIT. Conclusion Our findings show for the first time that LAIT activates cytotoxicity in NK cells and the upregulated genes positively correlate with beneficial clinical outcomes for cancer patients. More importantly, our results further establish the correlation between the effects of LAIT and ICI on NK cells, hence expanding our understanding of mechanism of LAIT in remodeling TME and shedding light on the potentials of NK cell activation and anti-tumor cytotoxic functions in clinical applications.
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Valerio TI, Furrer CL, Sadeghipour N, Patrock SJX, Tillery SA, Hoover AR, Liu K, Chen WR. Immune modulations of the tumor microenvironment in response to phototherapy. J Innov Opt Health Sci 2023; 16:2330007. [PMID: 38550850 PMCID: PMC10976517 DOI: 10.1142/s1793545823300070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) promotes pro-tumor and anti-inflammatory metabolisms and suppresses the host immune system. It prevents immune cells from fighting against cancer effectively, resulting in limited efficacy of many current cancer treatment modalities. Different therapies aim to overcome the immunosuppressive TME by combining various approaches to synergize their effects for enhanced anti-tumor activity and augmented stimulation of the immune system. Immunotherapy has become a major therapeutic strategy because it unleashes the power of the immune system by activating, enhancing, and directing immune responses to prevent, control, and eliminate cancer. Phototherapy uses light irradiation to induce tumor cell death through photothermal, photochemical, and photo-immunological interactions. Phototherapy induces tumor immunogenic cell death, which is a precursor and enhancer for anti-tumor immunity. However, phototherapy alone has limited effects on long-term and systemic anti-tumor immune responses. Phototherapy can be combined with immunotherapy to improve the tumoricidal effect by killing target tumor cells, enhancing immune cell infiltration in tumors, and rewiring pathways in the TME from anti-inflammatory to pro-inflammatory. Phototherapy-enhanced immunotherapy triggers effective cooperation between innate and adaptive immunities, specifically targeting the tumor cells, whether they are localized or distant. Herein, the successes and limitations of phototherapy combined with other cancer treatment modalities will be discussed. Specifically, we will review the synergistic effects of phototherapy combined with different cancer therapies on tumor elimination and remodeling of the immunosuppressive TME. Overall, phototherapy, in combination with other therapeutic modalities, can establish anti-tumor pro-inflammatory phenotypes in activated tumor-infiltrating T cells and B cells and activate systemic anti-tumor immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trisha I. Valerio
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
| | - Coline L. Furrer
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
| | - Negar Sadeghipour
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
| | - Sophia-Joy X. Patrock
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
| | - Sayre A. Tillery
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
| | - Ashley R. Hoover
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
| | - Kaili Liu
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
| | - Wei R. Chen
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
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Hoover AR, Kaabinejadian S, Krawic JR, Sun XH, Naqash AR, Yin Q, Yang X, Christopher Garcia K, Davis MM, Hildebrand WH, Chen WR. Localized ablative immunotherapy drives de novo CD8 + T-cell responses to poorly immunogenic tumors. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:e004973. [PMID: 36253002 PMCID: PMC9577935 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-004973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Localized ablative immunotherapies hold great promise in stimulating antitumor immunity to treat metastatic and poorly immunogenic tumors. Tumor ablation is well known to release tumor antigens and danger-associated molecular patterns to stimulate T-cell immunity, but its immune stimulating effect is limited, particularly against metastatic tumors. METHODS In this study, we combined photothermal therapy with a potent immune stimulant, N-dihydrogalactochitosan, to create a local ablative immunotherapy which we refer to as laser immunotherapy (LIT). Mice bearing B16-F10 tumors were treated with LIT when the tumors reached 0.5 cm3 and were monitored for survival, T-cell activation, and the ability to resist tumor rechallenge. RESULTS We found that LIT stimulated a stronger and more consistent antitumor T-cell response to the immunologically 'cold' B16-F10 melanoma tumors and conferred a long-term antitumor memory on tumor rechallenge. Furthermore, we discovered that LIT generated de novo CD8+ T-cell responses that strongly correlated with animal survival and tumor rejection. CONCLUSION In summary, our findings demonstrate that LIT enhances the activation of T cells and drives de novo antitumor T-cell responses. The data presented herein suggests that localized ablative immunotherapies have great potential to synergize with immune checkpoint therapies to enhance its efficacy, resulting in improved antitumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley R Hoover
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Saghar Kaabinejadian
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Jason R Krawic
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Xiao-Hong Sun
- Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Abdul Rafeh Naqash
- Medical Oncology/TSET Phase 1 Program, The University of Oklahoma Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Qian Yin
- Institute for Immunity, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Xinbo Yang
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - K Christopher Garcia
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Mark M Davis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - William H Hildebrand
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Wei R Chen
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
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Hoover AR, Liu K, DeVette CI, Krawic JR, Medcalf AD, West CL, Hode T, Lam SSK, Welm AL, Sun XH, Hildebrand WH, Chen WR. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals localized tumour ablation and intratumoural immunostimulant delivery potentiate T cell mediated tumour killing. Clin Transl Med 2022; 12:e937. [PMID: 35808806 PMCID: PMC9270578 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Metastatic breast cancer poses great challenge in cancer treatment. N‐dihydrogalactochitosan (GC) is a novel immunoadjuvant that stimulates systemic immune responses when administered intratumourally following local tumour ablation. A combination of photothermal therapy (PTT) and GC, referred to as localized ablative immunotherapy (LAIT), extended animal survival and generates an activated B cell phenotype in MMTV‐PyMT mouse mammary tumour microenvironment (TME). However, how T cell populations respond to LAIT remains to be elucidated. Methods Using depletion antibodies, we studied the contributions of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells to the therapeutic effect of LAIT. Using single‐cell RNA‐sequencing (scRNAseq), we analysed tumour‐infiltrating T cell heterogeneity and dissected their transcriptomes upon treatments of PTT, GC, and LAIT (PTT+GC). Results Loss of CD8+ T cells after LAIT abrogated the therapeutic benefits of LAIT. Ten days after treatment, proportions of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells in untreated TME were 19.2% and 23.0%, respectively. Upon LAIT, both proportions were increased to 25.5% and 36.2%, respectively. In particular, LAIT increased the proportions of naïve and memory cells from a resting state to an activated state. LAIT consistently induced the expression of co‐stimulatory molecules, type I IFN responsive genes, and a series of antitumor cytokines, Ifng, Tnf, Il1, and Il17 in CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. LAIT also induced immune checkpoints Pdcd1, Ctla4, and Lag3 expression, consistent with T cell activation. Relevant to clinical translation, LAIT also upregulated genes in CD8+ and CD4+ T cells that positively correlated with extended survival of breast cancer patients. Conclusions Overall, our results reveal that LAIT prompts immunological remodelling of T cells by inducing broad proinflammatory responses and inhibiting suppressive signalling to drive antitumour immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley R Hoover
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA.,Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Kaili Liu
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Christa I DeVette
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Jason R Krawic
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Alexandra D Medcalf
- Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Connor L West
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Tomas Hode
- Immunophotonics Inc., St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | | | - Alana L Welm
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Xiao-Hong Sun
- Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - William H Hildebrand
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Wei R Chen
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
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Wang M, Li Y, Wang M, Liu K, Hoover AR, Li M, Towner RA, Mukherjee P, Zhou F, Qu J, Chen WR. Synergistic interventional photothermal therapy and immunotherapy using an iron oxide nanoplatform for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Acta Biomater 2022; 138:453-462. [PMID: 34757232 PMCID: PMC10960566 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.10.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the most lethal malignancy due to its high metastatic ability and poor drug permeability. Here, a synergized interventional photothermal-immunotherapy strategy was developed with imaging guidance and temperature monitoring by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique, for the local treatment of metastatic PC. A tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsive nanoplatform was fabricated via coating of DSPE-PEG and indocyanine green (ICG) onto imiquimod (IMQ) loaded amorphous iron oxide nanoparticles (IONs). This unique nanoplatform, IMQ@IONs/ICG, served as a contrast agent for MRI, a drug delivery vehicle for IMQ and ICG, and a catalyst for TME modulation. The biodegradable IMQ@IONs/ICG was also non-toxic, and improved the penetration of the loaded drugs in PC to maximize thermal ablation of the tumor and minimize damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. For the treatment of aggressive, metastatic Panc02-H7 pancreatic tumors in mice, ION-assisted MRI was employed to guide the administration of interventional photothermal therapy (IPTT) and monitor the temperature distribution in target tumor and surrounding tissue during treatment. The local IPTT treatment induced in situ immunogenic cell death (ICD), and, in combination with released IMQ, triggered a strong antitumor immunity, leading to decreased metastases and increased CD8+ in spleen and tumors. With precise local treatment and monitoring, treated primary tumors were completely eradicated, mesentery metastases were dramatically reduced, and the survival time was significantly prolonged, without damage to normal tissue and systemic autoimmunity. Overall, this synergistic strategy represents a promising approach to treat PC with significant potential for clinical applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most lethal malignancies because it is non-permeable to drugs and highly metastatic. In this study, we designed a tumor microenvironment-responsive amorphous iron oxide nanoplatform (ION) to co-deliver photothermal agent (ICG) and toll-like-receptor-7 agonist (IMQ). This biodegradable nanoplatform IMQ@IONs/ICG improved the penetration of the loaded drugs in pancreatic tumor. With MR imaging guidance and temperature monitoring, the precise interventional photothermal therapy on mouse Panc02-H7 orthotopic tumors releases tumor antigens to initiate tumor-special immune responses, amplified by the released IMQ. Our results demonstrate that IMQ@IONs/ICG overcomes the obstacle of drug delivery to pancreatic tumors, and when combined with photothermal therapy, induces a systemic antitumor immunity to control metastatic tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yong Li
- Interventional Therapy Department, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China
| | - Miao Wang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Kaili Liu
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Ashley R Hoover
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Min Li
- Department of Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Rheal A Towner
- Advanced Magnetic Resonance Center, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Priyabrata Mukherjee
- Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Feifan Zhou
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
| | - Junle Qu
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
| | - Wei R Chen
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
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Liu K, Hoover AR, Krawic JR, DeVette CI, Sun XH, Hildebrand WH, Lang ML, Axtell RC, Chen WR. Antigen presentation and interferon signatures in B cells driven by localized ablative cancer immunotherapy correlate with extended survival. Am J Cancer Res 2022; 12:639-656. [PMID: 34976205 PMCID: PMC8692917 DOI: 10.7150/thno.65773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale: B cells have emerged as key regulators in protective cancer immunity. However, the activation pathways induced in B cells during effective immunotherapy are not well understood. Methods: We used a novel localized ablative immunotherapy (LAIT), combining photothermal therapy (PTT) with intra-tumor delivery of the immunostimulant N-dihydrogalactochitosan (GC), to treat mice bearing mouse mammary tumor virus-polyoma middle tumor-antigen (MMTV-PyMT). We used single-cell RNA sequencing to compare the transcriptional changes induced by PTT, GC and PTT+GC in B cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Results: LAIT significantly increased survival in the tumor-bearing mice, compared to the treatment by PTT and GC alone. We found that PTT, GC and PTT+GC increased the proportion of tumor-infiltrating B cells and induced gene expression signatures associated with B cell activation. Both GC and PTT+GC elevated gene expression associated with antigen presentation, whereas GC elevated transcripts that regulate B cell activation and GTPase function and PTT+GC induced interferon response genes. Trajectory analysis, where B cells were organized according to pseudotime progression, revealed that both GC and PTT+GC induced the differentiation of B cells from a resting state towards an effector phenotype. The analyses confirmed upregulated interferon signatures in the differentiated tumor-infiltrating B cells following treatment by PTT+GC but not by GC. We also observed that breast cancer patients had significantly longer survival time if they had elevated expression of genes in B cells that were induced by PTT+GC therapy in the mouse tumors. Conclusion: Our findings show that the combination of local ablation and local application of immunostimulant initiates the activation of interferon signatures and antigen-presentation in B cells which is associated with positive clinical outcomes for breast cancer. These findings broaden our understanding of LAIT's regulatory roles in remodeling TME and shed light on the potentials of B cell activation in clinical applications.
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Lutes LK, Steier Z, McIntyre LL, Pandey S, Kaminski J, Hoover AR, Ariotti S, Streets A, Yosef N, Robey EA. T cell self-reactivity during thymic development dictates the timing of positive selection. eLife 2021; 10:e65435. [PMID: 33884954 PMCID: PMC8116051 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional tuning of T cells based on their degree of self-reactivity is established during positive selection in the thymus, although how positive selection differs for thymocytes with relatively low versus high self-reactivity is unclear. In addition, preselection thymocytes are highly sensitive to low-affinity ligands, but the mechanism underlying their enhanced T cell receptor (TCR) sensitivity is not fully understood. Here we show that murine thymocytes with low self-reactivity experience briefer TCR signals and complete positive selection more slowly than those with high self-reactivity. Additionally, we provide evidence that cells with low self-reactivity retain a preselection gene expression signature as they mature, including genes previously implicated in modulating TCR sensitivity and a novel group of ion channel genes. Our results imply that thymocytes with low self-reactivity downregulate TCR sensitivity more slowly during positive selection, and associate membrane ion channel expression with thymocyte self-reactivity and progress through positive selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia K Lutes
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Zoë Steier
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Laura L McIntyre
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Shraddha Pandey
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - James Kaminski
- Center for Computational Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Ashley R Hoover
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Silvia Ariotti
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Aaron Streets
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Center for Computational Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Chan Zuckerberg BiohubSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Nir Yosef
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Center for Computational Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Chan Zuckerberg BiohubSan FranciscoUnited States
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and HarvardCambridgeUnited States
| | - Ellen A Robey
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
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Kurd NS, Lutes LK, Yoon J, Chan SW, Dzhagalov IL, Hoover AR, Robey EA. Correction: A role for phagocytosis in inducing cell death during thymocyte negative selection. eLife 2020; 9:56027. [PMID: 32057295 PMCID: PMC7021485 DOI: 10.7554/elife.56027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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11
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Kurd NS, Lutes LK, Yoon J, Chan SW, Dzhagalov IL, Hoover AR, Robey EA. A role for phagocytosis in inducing cell death during thymocyte negative selection. eLife 2019; 8:48097. [PMID: 31868579 PMCID: PMC6957271 DOI: 10.7554/elife.48097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [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: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Autoreactive thymocytes are eliminated during negative selection in the thymus, a process important for establishing self-tolerance. Thymic phagocytes serve to remove dead thymocytes, but whether they play additional roles during negative selection remains unclear. Here, using a murine thymic slice model in which thymocytes undergo negative selection in situ, we demonstrate that phagocytosis promotes negative selection, and provide evidence for the escape of autoreactive CD8 T cells to the periphery when phagocytosis in the thymus is impaired. We also show that negative selection is more efficient when the phagocyte also presents the negative selecting peptide. Our findings support a model for negative selection in which the death process initiated following strong TCR signaling is facilitated by phagocytosis. Thus, the phagocytic capability of cells that present self-peptides is a key determinant of thymocyte fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia S Kurd
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Lydia K Lutes
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Jaewon Yoon
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Shiao Wei Chan
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Ivan L Dzhagalov
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Ashley R Hoover
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Ellen A Robey
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
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12
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DeVette CI, Gundlapalli H, Lai SCA, McMurtrey CP, Hoover AR, Gurung HR, Chen WR, Welm AL, Hildebrand WH. A pipeline for identification and validation of tumor-specific antigens in a mouse model of metastatic breast cancer. Oncoimmunology 2019; 9:1685300. [PMID: 32002300 PMCID: PMC6959440 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2019.1685300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy continues to make headway as a treatment for advanced stage tumors, revealing an urgent need to understand the fundamentals of anti-tumor immune responses. Noteworthy is a scarcity of data pertaining to the breadth and specificity of tumor-specific T cell responses in metastatic breast cancer. Autochthonous transgenic models of breast cancer display spontaneous metastasis in the FVB/NJ mouse strain, yet a lack of knowledge regarding tumor-bound MHC/peptide immune epitopes in this mouse model limits the characterization of tumor-specific T cell responses, and the mechanisms that regulate T cell responses in the metastatic setting. We recently generated the NetH2pan prediction tool for murine class I MHC ligands by building an FVB/NJ H-2q ligand database and combining it with public information from six other murine MHC alleles. Here, we deployed NetH2pan in combination with an advanced proteomics workflow to identify immunogenic T cell epitopes in the MMTV-PyMT transgenic model for metastatic breast cancer. Five unique MHC I/PyMT epitopes were identified. These tumor-specific epitopes were confirmed to be presented by the class I MHC of primary MMTV-PyMT tumors and their T cell immunogenicity was validated. Vaccination using a DNA construct encoding a truncated PyMT protein generated CD8 + T cell responses to these MHC class I/peptide complexes and prevented tumor development. In sum, we have established an MHC-ligand discovery pipeline in FVB/NJ mice, identified and tracked H-2Dq/PyMT neoantigen-specific T cells, and developed a vaccine that prevents tumor development in this metastatic model of breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa I DeVette
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | | | | | - Curtis P McMurtrey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Ashley R Hoover
- Biophotonics Research Laboratory, Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and Research, College of Mathematics and Science, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, USA
| | - Hem R Gurung
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Wei R Chen
- Biophotonics Research Laboratory, Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and Research, College of Mathematics and Science, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, USA
| | - Alana L Welm
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - William H Hildebrand
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
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13
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Wang M, Song J, Zhou F, Hoover AR, Murray C, Zhou B, Wang L, Qu J, Chen WR. NIR-Triggered Phototherapy and Immunotherapy via an Antigen-Capturing Nanoplatform for Metastatic Cancer Treatment. Adv Sci (Weinh) 2019; 6:1802157. [PMID: 31131193 PMCID: PMC6523374 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201802157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Combined phototherapy and immunotherapy demonstrates strong potential in the treatment of metastatic cancers. An upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP) based antigen-capturing nanoplatform is designed to synergize phototherapies and immunotherapy. In particular, this nanoplatform is constructed via self-assembly of DSPE-PEG-maleimide and indocyanine green (ICG) onto UCNPs, followed by loading of the photosensitizer rose bengal (RB). ICG significantly enhances the RB-based photodynamic therapy efficiency of UCNP/ICG/RB-mal upon activation by a near-infrared (NIR) laser, simultaneously achieving selective photothermal therapy. Most importantly, tumor-derived protein antigens, arising from phototherapy-treated tumor cells, can be captured and retained in situ, due to the functionality of maleimide, which further enhance the tumor antigen uptake and presentation by antigen-presenting cells. The synergized photothermal, photodynamic, and immunological effects using light-activated UCNP/ICG/RB-mal induces a tumor-specific immune response. In the experiments, intratumoral administration of UCNP/ICG/RB-mal, followed by noninvasive irradiation with an NIR laser, destroys primary tumors and inhibits untreated distant tumors, using a poorly immunogenic, highly metastatic 4T1 mammary tumor model. With the simultaneous use of anti-CTLA-4, about 84% of the treated tumor-bearing mice achieve long-term survival and 34% of mice develop tumor-specific immunity. Overall, this antigen-capturing nanoplatform provides a promising approach for the treatment of metastatic cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong ProvinceCollege of Optoelectronic EngineeringShenzhen UniversityShenzhen518060P. R. China
| | - Jun Song
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong ProvinceCollege of Optoelectronic EngineeringShenzhen UniversityShenzhen518060P. R. China
| | - Feifan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong ProvinceCollege of Optoelectronic EngineeringShenzhen UniversityShenzhen518060P. R. China
| | - Ashley R. Hoover
- Center of Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and ResearchCollege of Mathematics and ScienceUniversity of Central OklahomaOK73034USA
| | - Cynthia Murray
- Center of Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and ResearchCollege of Mathematics and ScienceUniversity of Central OklahomaOK73034USA
| | - Benqing Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong ProvinceCollege of Optoelectronic EngineeringShenzhen UniversityShenzhen518060P. R. China
| | - Lu Wang
- Center of Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and ResearchCollege of Mathematics and ScienceUniversity of Central OklahomaOK73034USA
| | - Junle Qu
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong ProvinceCollege of Optoelectronic EngineeringShenzhen UniversityShenzhen518060P. R. China
| | - Wei R. Chen
- Center of Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and ResearchCollege of Mathematics and ScienceUniversity of Central OklahomaOK73034USA
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Du Q, Hoover AR, Dozmorov I, Raj P, Khan S, Molina E, Chang TC, de la Morena MT, Cleaver OB, Mendell JT, van Oers NSC. MIR205HG Is a Long Noncoding RNA that Regulates Growth Hormone and Prolactin Production in the Anterior Pituitary. Dev Cell 2019; 49:618-631.e5. [PMID: 30982661 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [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: 03/12/2018] [Revised: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are processed from primary miRNA transcripts (pri-miRNAs), many of which are annotated as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). We assessed whether MIR205HG, the host gene for miR-205, has independent functions as an lncRNA. Comparing mice with targeted deletions of MIR205HG and miR-205 revealed a functional role for the lncRNA in the anterior pituitary. Mice lacking MIR205HG had a temporal reduction in Pit1, growth hormone, and prolactin. This was mediated, in part, through the ability of this lncRNA to bind and regulate the transcriptional activity of Pit1 in conjunction with Zbtb20. Knockdown of MIR205HG in lactotropes decreased the expression of Pit1, Zbtb20, prolactin, and growth hormone, while its overexpression enhanced the levels of these transcripts. The effects of MIR205HG on the pituitary were independent of miR-205. The data support a role for MIR205HG as an lncRNA that regulates growth hormone and prolactin production in the anterior pituitary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiumei Du
- Department of Immunology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Ashley R Hoover
- Department of Immunology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Igor Dozmorov
- Department of Immunology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Prithvi Raj
- Department of Immunology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Shaheen Khan
- Department of Immunology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Erika Molina
- Department of Immunology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Tsung-Cheng Chang
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Maria Teresa de la Morena
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
| | - Ondine B Cleaver
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Joshua T Mendell
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Nicolai S C van Oers
- Department of Immunology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
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15
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Doughty ACV, Hoover AR, Layton E, Murray CK, Howard EW, Chen WR. Nanomaterial Applications in Photothermal Therapy for Cancer. Materials (Basel) 2019; 12:E779. [PMID: 30866416 PMCID: PMC6427777 DOI: 10.3390/ma12050779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 208] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 02/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
As a result of their unique compositions and properties, nanomaterials have recently seen a tremendous increase in use for novel cancer therapies. By taking advantage of the optical absorption of near-infrared light, researchers have utilized nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes, gold nanorods, and graphene oxide sheets to enhance photothermal therapies and target the effect on the tumor tissue. However, new uses for nanomaterials in targeted cancer therapy are coming to light, and the efficacy of photothermal therapy has increased dramatically. In this work, we review some of the current applications of nanomaterials to enhance photothermal therapy, specifically as photothermal absorbers, drug delivery vehicles, photoimmunological agents, and theranostic tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin C V Doughty
- Biophotonics Research Laboratory, Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and Research, College of Mathematics and Science, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OH 73034, USA.
| | - Ashley R Hoover
- Biophotonics Research Laboratory, Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and Research, College of Mathematics and Science, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OH 73034, USA.
| | - Elivia Layton
- Biophotonics Research Laboratory, Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and Research, College of Mathematics and Science, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OH 73034, USA.
| | - Cynthia K Murray
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Mathematics and Science, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OH 73034, USA.
| | - Eric W Howard
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OH 73104, USA.
| | - Wei R Chen
- Biophotonics Research Laboratory, Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and Research, College of Mathematics and Science, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OH 73034, USA.
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16
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Li Y, Li X, Zhou F, Doughty A, Hoover AR, Nordquist RE, Chen WR. Nanotechnology-based photoimmunological therapies for cancer. Cancer Lett 2018; 442:429-438. [PMID: 30476523 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2018.10.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [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: 06/21/2018] [Revised: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Phototherapy is a non-invasive or minimally invasive therapeutic strategy. Immunotherapy uses different immunological approaches, such as antibodies, vaccines, immunoadjuvants, and cytokines to stimulate the host immune system to fight against diseases. In cancer treatment, phototherapy not only destroys tumor cells, but also induces immunogenic tumor cell death to initiate a systemic anti-tumor immune response. When combined with immunotherapy, the effectiveness of phototherapy can be enhanced. Because of their special physical, chemical, and sometimes immunological properties, nanomaterials have also been used to enhance phototherapy. In this article, we review the recent progress in nanotechnology-based phototherapy, including nano-photothermal therapy, nano-photochemical therapy, and nano-photoimmunological therapy in cancer treatment. Specifically, we focus on the immunological responses induced by nano-phototherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Li
- Interventional Therapy Department, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, 300060, China; Biophotonics Research Laboratory, Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and Research, College of Mathematics and Science, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, 73034, USA
| | - Xiaosong Li
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Feifan Zhou
- Biophotonics Research Laboratory, Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and Research, College of Mathematics and Science, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, 73034, USA; Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education/Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, PR China
| | - Austin Doughty
- Biophotonics Research Laboratory, Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and Research, College of Mathematics and Science, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, 73034, USA
| | - Ashley R Hoover
- Biophotonics Research Laboratory, Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and Research, College of Mathematics and Science, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, 73034, USA
| | - Robert E Nordquist
- Immunophotonics Inc., 4320 Forest Park Avenue #303, St. Louis, Missouri 63108, USA
| | - Wei R Chen
- Biophotonics Research Laboratory, Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Education and Research, College of Mathematics and Science, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, 73034, USA; Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education/Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, PR China.
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van Oers NS, Hoover AR, Du Q, Dozmorov I, Raj P, de la Morena MT, Cleaver OB. A Long Noncoding RNA, lncRNA205, and an Embedded MicroRNA, MiR-205 have Overlapping and Distinct Contributions to Thymopoiesis and Development. The Journal of Immunology 2017. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.198.supp.60.22] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
MiR-205 is an epithelial-specific microRNA (miR) that supports thymopoiesis. This miR positively regulates Forkhead Box N1 (Foxn1) transcription factor expression. MiR-205 is embedded in a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), termed MIR205HG in humans. Several lncRNAs that contain miRs have independent functional roles in tissue development and/or regeneration. We characterized the transcriptome assembly of the murine locus containing miR-205 and the larger lncRNA. Conditional knockout mice that harbored a targeted deletion of the proximal region of the lncRNA, with miR-205 sequences retained, were developed. The phenotypes in these mice were compared to those with a miR-205 deficiency. The more severe stress-induced thymic atrophy reported in miR-205-deficient mice, compared to littermate controls, is also evident in lncRNA205 knockout lines. In contrast, a lncRNA205 deficiency results in a smaller mouse stature, which may be coupled with a reduced fat but normal lean mass. These phenotypic differences are explained, in part, by the differential regulation of the lncRNA transcript relative to the pre-mature miR-205. Interferon and IL-22, cytokines released following inflammation, transiently reduce miR-205 while increasing the lncRNA. This is partly determined by the DNp63 transcription factor, which controls miR-205 expression. Gene expression comparisons are being undertaken to reveal how the transcriptome is differentially regulated by these two non-coding RNA species. Further, the mechanism by which these noncoding RNAs regulate Foxn1 is being elucidated. Taken together, these findings suggest both overlapping and independent functions for the lncRNA205 and the embedded miR-205.
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Hoover AR, Dozmorov I, MacLeod J, Du Q, de la Morena MT, Forbess J, Guleserian K, Cleaver OB, van Oers NSC. MicroRNA-205 Maintains T Cell Development following Stress by Regulating Forkhead Box N1 and Selected Chemokines. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:23237-23247. [PMID: 27646003 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.744508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [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: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The thymus, an organ responsible for T cell development, is one of the more stress-sensitive tissues in the body. Stress, in the form of infections, radiation exposure, and steroids, impairs thymic epithelial cell (TEC) functions and induces the programmed cell death of immature thymocytes. MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs involved in tissue repair and homeostasis, with several supporting T cell development. We report that miR-205, an epithelial-specific miR, maintains thymopoiesis following inflammatory perturbations. Thus, the activation of diverse pattern recognition receptors in mice causes a more severe thymic hypoplasia and delayed T cell recovery when miR-205 is conditionally ablated in TECs. Gene expression comparisons in the TECs with/without miR-205 revealed a significant differential regulation of chemokine/chemokine receptor pathways, antigen processing components, and changes in the Wnt signaling system. This was partly a consequence of reduced expression of the transcriptional regulator of epithelial cell function, Forkhead Box N1 (Foxn1), and its two regulated targets, stem cell factor and ccl25, following stress. miR-205 mimics supplemented into miR-205-deficient fetal thymic organ cultures restored Foxn1 expression along with ccl25 and stem cell factor A number of putative targets of miR-205 were up-regulated in TECs lacking miR-205, consistent with an important role for this miR in supporting T cell development in response to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Joseph Forbess
- Internal Medicine.,Children's Health, Dallas, Texas 75235
| | | | | | - Nicolai S C van Oers
- From the Departments of Immunology, .,Pediatrics.,Microbiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas 75390-9093 and
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van Oers NS, Hoover AR, MacLeod J, Dozmorov I, de la Morena MT. MiR-205 Supports Thymopoiesis Following Stress by Positively Regulating Foxn1 Expression. The Journal of Immunology 2016. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.196.supp.121.1] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
T cells are a critical component of the adaptive immune system, developing within the thymus. Immature thymocytes interact with an interconnected meshwork of thymic epithelial cells (TECs) to establish the T cell repertoire. The developmental process is extremely stress sensitive, as the thymus can undergo a rapid involution in response to diverse inflammatory conditions, and a more prolonged hypoplasia during aging. The type of stress predicates whether TECs, thymocytes, and/or myeloid cell populations are affected. Several microRNAs (miRs) have been identified in the thymus based on their ability to mitigate the stress damage. We identified miR-205 as a stress responsive miR specifically expressed in TECs. Mice generated with a conditional ablation of miR-205 in TECs exhibit an age and sex-dependent thymic hypoplasia beginning at 8 weeks. Under stress conditions involving a type I interferon response (dsRNA mimic; polyI:C), the TEC-miR-205 deficient mice had a severe thymic atrophy compared to littermate controls. The TEC-miR-205 deficient mice displayed a delayed recovery of single positive CD4 and CD8 thymocytes, likely resulting from a block in the cortical TEC expansion. qPCR and gene expression comparisons revealed that the miR-205 deficient TECs had significant changes in chemokine/chemokine receptor and antigen processing pathways. MiR-205 positively regulated Foxn1 transcription factor expression, the master regulator of TEC development and function. Interestingly, miR-205 is encoded within a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), 4631405K08Rik. Current experiments will reveal the mechanisms by which the miR and lncRNA are transcriptionally regulated, and how these affect Foxn1 expression to support thymopoiesis.
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de la Morena MT, Eitson JL, Dozmorov IM, Belkaya S, Hoover AR, Anguiano E, Pascual MV, van Oers NSC. Signature MicroRNA expression patterns identified in humans with 22q11.2 deletion/DiGeorge syndrome. Clin Immunol 2013; 147:11-22. [PMID: 23454892 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2013.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [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: 11/18/2012] [Revised: 01/16/2013] [Accepted: 01/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome have heterogeneous clinical presentations including immunodeficiency, cardiac anomalies, and hypocalcemia. The syndrome arises from hemizygous deletions of up to 3Mb on chromosome 22q11.2, a region that contains 60 genes and 4 microRNAs. MicroRNAs are important post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, with mutations in several microRNAs causal to specific human diseases. We characterized the microRNA expression patterns in the peripheral blood of patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (n=31) compared to normal controls (n=22). Eighteen microRNAs had a statistically significant differential expression (p<0.05), with miR-185 expressed at 0.4× normal levels. The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome cohort exhibited microRNA expression hyper-variability and group dysregulation. Selected microRNAs distinguished patients with cardiac anomalies, hypocalcemia, and/or low circulating T cell counts. In summary, microRNA profiling of chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome/DiGeorge patients revealed a signature microRNA expression pattern distinct from normal controls with clinical relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Teresa de la Morena
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9063, USA.
| | - Jennifer L Eitson
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9093, USA
| | - Igor M Dozmorov
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9093, USA
| | - Serkan Belkaya
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9093, USA
| | - Ashley R Hoover
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9093, USA
| | | | | | - Nicolai S C van Oers
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9063, USA; Department of Immunology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9093, USA; Department of Microbiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9093, USA.
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21
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Belkaya S, Silge RL, Hoover AR, Medeiros JJ, Eitson JL, Becker AM, de la Morena MT, Bassel-Duby RS, van Oers NSC. Dynamic modulation of thymic microRNAs in response to stress. PLoS One 2011; 6:e27580. [PMID: 22110677 PMCID: PMC3217971 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2011] [Accepted: 10/19/2011] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Physiological stress evokes rapid changes in both the innate and adaptive immune response. Immature αβ T cells developing in the thymus are particularly sensitive to stress, with infections and/or exposure to lipopolysaccharide or glucocorticoids eliciting a rapid apoptotic program. MicroRNAs are a class of small, non-coding RNAs that regulate global gene expression by targeting diverse mRNAs for degradation. We hypothesized that a subset of thymically encoded microRNAs would be stress responsive and modulate thymopoiesis. We performed microRNA profiling of thymic microRNAs isolated from control or stressed thymic tissue obtained from mice. We identified 18 microRNAs that are dysregulated >1.5-fold in response to lipopolysaccharide or the synthetic corticosteroid dexamethasone. These included the miR-17-90 cluster, which have anti-apoptotic functions, and the miR-181 family, which contribute to T cell tolerance. The stress-induced changes in the thymic microRNAs are dynamically and distinctly regulated in the CD4(-)CD8(-), CD4(+)CD8(+), CD4(+)CD8(-), and CD4(-)CD8(+) thymocyte subsets. Several of the differentially regulated murine thymic miRs are also stress responsive in the heart, kidney, liver, brain, and/or spleen. The most dramatic thymic microRNA down modulated is miR-181d, exhibiting a 15-fold reduction following stress. This miR has both similar and distinct gene targets as miR-181a, another member of miR-181 family. Many of the differentially regulated microRNAs have known functions in thymopoiesis, indicating that their dysregulation will alter T cell repertoire selection and the formation of naïve T cells. This data has implications for clinical treatments involving anti-inflammatory steroids, ablation therapies, and provides mechanistic insights into the consequences of infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serkan Belkaya
- The Department of Immunology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Robert L. Silge
- The Department of Immunology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Ashley R. Hoover
- The Department of Immunology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jennifer J. Medeiros
- The Department of Immunology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jennifer L. Eitson
- The Department of Immunology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Amy M. Becker
- The Department of Immunology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - M. Teresa de la Morena
- The Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Rhonda S. Bassel-Duby
- The Department of Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Nicolai S. C. van Oers
- The Department of Immunology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
- The Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
- The Department of Microbiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
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22
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Wang X, Filho JGS, Hoover AR, King JB, Ellis TK, Powell DR, Cichewicz RH. Chemical epigenetics alters the secondary metabolite composition of guttate excreted by an atlantic-forest-soil-derived Penicillium citreonigrum. J Nat Prod 2010; 73:942-948. [PMID: 20450206 PMCID: PMC2878378 DOI: 10.1021/np100142h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Chemical epigenetic manipulation of Penicillium citreonigrum led to profound changes in the secondary metabolite profile of its guttate. While guttate from control cultures exhibited a relatively simple assemblage of secondary metabolites, the guttate collected from cultures treated with 50 muM 5-azacytidine (a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor) was highly enriched in compounds representing at least three distinct biosynthetic families. The metabolites obtained from the fungus included six azaphilones (sclerotiorin (1), sclerotioramine (6), ochrephilone (2), dechloroisochromophilone III (3), dechloroisochromophilone IV (4), and 6-((3E,5E)-5,7-dimethyl-2-methylenenona-3,5-dienyl)-2,4-dihydroxy-3-methylbenzaldehyde (5)), pencolide (7), and two new meroterpenes (atlantinones A and B (9 and 10, respectively)). While pencolide was detected in the exudates of both control and 5-azacytidine-treated cultures, all of the other natural products were found exclusively in the guttates of the epigenetically modified fungus. All of the metabolites from the P. citreonigrum guttate were tested for antimicrobial activity in a disk diffusion assay. Both sclerotiorin and sclerotioramine caused modest inhibition of Staphylococcus epidermidis growth; however, only sclerotioramine was active against a panel of Candida strains.
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23
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Henrikson JC, Hoover AR, Joyner PM, Cichewicz RH. A chemical epigenetics approach for engineering the in situ biosynthesis of a cryptic natural product from Aspergillus niger. Org Biomol Chem 2008; 7:435-8. [PMID: 19156306 DOI: 10.1039/b819208a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A new fungal metabolite, nygerone A (), featuring a unique 1-phenylpyridin-4(1H)-one core that had previously not been reported from any natural source, has been obtained from Aspergillus niger using a chemical epigenetics methodology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon C Henrikson
- Natural Products Discovery Group, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 620 Parrington Oval, Room 208, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 73019-3032, USA
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24
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Abstract
Fungi treated with DNA methyltransferase and histone deacetylase inhibitors exhibited natural product profiles with enhanced chemical diversity demonstrating that small-molecule epigenetic modifiers are effective tools for rationally controlling the native expression of fungal biosynthetic pathways and generating new biomolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell B Williams
- Natural Products Discovery Group, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 620 Parrington Oval, Room 208, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019-3032, USA.
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