Oncology
Abstract
Tumor-associated fibroblasts are key regulators of tumorigenesis. In contrast to tumor cells, which are genetically unstable and mutate frequently, the presence of genetically more stable fibroblasts in the tumor-stromal compartment makes them an optimal target for cancer immunotherapy. These cells are also the primary source of collagen type I, which contributes to decreased chemotherapeutic drug uptake in tumors and plays a significant role in regulating tumor sensitivity to a variety of chemotherapies. To specifically kill tumor-associated fibroblasts, we constructed an oral DNA vaccine targeting fibroblast activation protein (FAP), which is specifically overexpressed by fibroblasts in the tumor stroma. Through CD8+ T cell–mediated killing of tumor-associated fibroblasts, our vaccine successfully suppressed primary tumor cell growth and metastasis of multidrug-resistant murine colon and breast carcinoma. Furthermore, tumor tissue of FAP-vaccinated mice revealed markedly decreased collagen type I expression and up to 70% greater uptake of chemotherapeutic drugs. Most importantly, pFap-vaccinated mice treated with chemotherapy showed a 3-fold prolongation in lifespan and marked suppression of tumor growth, with 50% of the animals completely rejecting a tumor cell challenge. This strategy opens a new venue for the combination of immuno- and chemotherapies.
Authors
Markus Loeffler, Jörg A. Krüger, Andreas G. Niethammer, Ralph A. Reisfeld
Abstract
Cholangiocellular carcinoma (CC), the second most common primary liver cancer, is associated with a poor prognosis. It has been shown that CCs harbor alterations of a number of tumor-suppressor genes and oncogenes, yet key regulators for tumorigenesis remain unknown. Here we have generated a mouse model that develops CC with high penetrance using liver-specific targeted disruption of tumor suppressors SMAD4 and PTEN. In the absence of SMAD4 and PTEN, hyperplastic foci emerge exclusively from bile ducts of mutant mice at 2 months of age and continue to grow, leading to tumor formation in all animals at 4–7 months of age. We show that CC formation follows a multistep progression of histopathological changes that are associated with significant alterations, including increased levels of phosphorylated AKT, FOXO1, GSK-3β, mTOR, and ERK and increased nuclear levels of cyclin D1. We further demonstrate that SMAD4 and PTEN regulate each other through a novel feedback mechanism to maintain an expression balance and synergistically repress CC formation. Finally, our analysis of human CC detected PTEN inactivation in a majority of p-AKT–positive CCs, while about half also lost SMAD4 expression. These findings elucidate the relationship between SMAD4 and PTEN and extend our understanding of CC formation.
Authors
Xiaoling Xu, Shogo Kobayashi, Wenhui Qiao, Cuiling Li, Cuiying Xiao, Svetlana Radaeva, Bangyan Stiles, Rui-Hong Wang, Nobuya Ohara, Tadashi Yoshino, Derek LeRoith, Michael S. Torbenson, Gregory J. Gores, Hong Wu, Bin Gao, Chu-Xia Deng
Abstract
Resistance to chemotherapy presents a serious challenge in the successful treatment of various cancers and is mainly responsible for mortality associated with disseminated cancers. Here we show that expression of HtrA1, which is frequently downregulated in ovarian cancer, influences tumor response to chemotherapy by modulating chemotherapy-induced cytotoxicity. Downregulation of HtrA1 attenuated cisplatin- and paclitaxel-induced cytotoxicity, while forced expression of HtrA1 enhanced cisplatin- and paclitaxel-induced cytotoxicity. HtrA1 expression was upregulated by both cisplatin and paclitaxel treatment. This upregulation resulted in limited autoproteolysis and activation of HtrA1. Active HtrA1 induces cell death in a serine protease–dependent manner. The potential role of HtrA1 as a predictive factor of clinical response to chemotherapy was assessed in both ovarian and gastric cancer patients receiving cisplatin-based regimens. Patients with ovarian or gastric tumors expressing higher levels of HtrA1 showed a higher response rate compared with those with lower levels of HtrA1 expression. These findings uncover what we believe to be a novel pathway by which serine protease HtrA1 mediates paclitaxel- and cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity and suggest that loss of HtrA1 in ovarian and gastric cancers may contribute to in vivo chemoresistance.
Authors
Jeremy Chien, Giovanni Aletti, Alfonso Baldi, Vincenzo Catalano, Pietro Muretto, Gary L. Keeney, Kimberly R. Kalli, Julie Staub, Michael Ehrmann, William A. Cliby, Yean Kit Lee, Keith C. Bible, Lynn C. Hartmann, Scott H. Kaufmann, Viji Shridhar
Abstract
CTL-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) blockade releases inhibitory controls on T cell activation and proliferation, inducing antitumor immunity in both preclinical and early clinical trials. We examined the mechanisms of action of anti-CTLA4 and a GM-CSF–transduced tumor cell vaccine (Gvax) and their impact on the balance of effector T cells (Teffs) and Tregs in an in vivo model of B16/BL6 melanoma. Tumor challenge increased the frequency of Tregs in lymph nodes, and untreated tumors became infiltrated by CD4+Foxp3– and CD4+Foxp3+ T cells but few CD8+ T cells. Anti-CTLA4 did not deplete Tregs or permanently impair their function but acted in a cell-intrinsic manner on both Tregs and Teffs, allowing them to expand, most likely in response to self antigen. While Gvax primed the tumor-reactive Teff compartment, inducing activation, tumor infiltration, and a delay in tumor growth, the combination with CTLA4 blockade induced greater infiltration and a striking change in the intratumor balance of Tregs and Teffs that directly correlated with tumor rejection. The data suggest that Tregs control both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell activity within the tumor, highlight the importance of the intratumor ratio of effectors to regulators, and demonstrate inversion of the ratio and correlation with tumor rejection during Gvax/anti-CTLA4 immunotherapy.
Authors
Sergio A. Quezada, Karl S. Peggs, Michael A. Curran, James P. Allison
Abstract
Metastasis is the major cause of cancer morbidity, but strategies for direct interference with invasion processes are lacking. Dedifferentiated, late-stage tumor cells secrete multiple factors that represent attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. Here we show that metastatic potential of oncogenic mammary epithelial cells requires an autocrine PDGF/PDGFR loop, which is established as a consequence of TGF-β–induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a faithful in vitro correlate of metastasis. The cooperation of autocrine PDGFR signaling with oncogenic Ras hyperactivates PI3K and is required for survival during EMT. Autocrine PDGFR signaling also contributes to maintenance of EMT, possibly through activation of STAT1 and other distinct pathways. Inhibition of PDGFR signaling interfered with EMT and caused apoptosis in murine and human mammary carcinoma cell lines. Consequently, overexpression of a dominant-negative PDGFR or application of the established cancer drug STI571 interfered with experimental metastasis in mice. Similarly, in mouse mammary tumor virus–Neu (MMTV-Neu) transgenic mice, TGF-β enhanced metastasis of mammary tumors, induced EMT, and elevated PDGFR signaling. Finally, expression of PDGFRα and -β correlated with invasive behavior in human mammary carcinomas. Thus, autocrine PDGFR signaling plays an essential role during cancer progression, suggesting a novel application of STI571 to therapeutically interfere with metastasis.
Authors
Martin Jechlinger, Andreas Sommer, Richard Moriggl, Peter Seither, Norbert Kraut, Paola Capodiecci, Michael Donovan, Carlos Cordon-Cardo, Hartmut Beug, Stefan Grünert
Abstract
Identification of specific gene expression signatures characteristic of oncogenic pathways is an important step toward molecular classification of human malignancies. Aberrant activation of the Met signaling pathway is frequently associated with tumor progression and metastasis. In this study, we defined the Met-dependent gene expression signature using global gene expression profiling of WT and Met-deficient primary mouse hepatocytes. Newly identified transcriptional targets of the Met pathway included genes involved in the regulation of oxidative stress responses as well as cell motility, cytoskeletal organization, and angiogenesis. To assess the importance of a Met-regulated gene expression signature, a comparative functional genomic approach was applied to 242 human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and 7 metastatic liver lesions. Cluster analysis revealed that a subset of human HCCs and all liver metastases shared the Met-induced expression signature. Furthermore, the presence of the Met signature showed significant correlation with increased vascular invasion rate and microvessel density as well as with decreased mean survival time of HCC patients. We conclude that the genetically defined gene expression signatures in combination with comparative functional genomics constitute an attractive paradigm for defining both the function of oncogenic pathways and the clinically relevant subgroups of human cancers.
Authors
Pal Kaposi-Novak, Ju-Seog Lee, Luis Gòmez-Quiroz, Cédric Coulouarn, Valentina M. Factor, Snorri S. Thorgeirsson
Abstract
T cells recognizing self antigens expressed by cancer cells are prevalent in the immune repertoire. However, activation of these autoreactive T cells is limited by weak signals that are incapable of fully priming naive T cells, creating a state of tolerance or ignorance. Even if T cell activation occurs, immunity can be further restricted by a dominant response directed at only a single epitope. Enhanced antigen presentation of multiple epitopes was investigated as a strategy to overcome these barriers. Specific point mutations that create altered peptide ligands were introduced into the gene encoding a nonimmunogenic tissue self antigen expressed by melanoma, tyrosinase-related protein-1 (Tyrp1). Deficient asparagine-linked glycosylation, which was caused by additional mutations, produced altered protein trafficking and fate that increased antigen processing. Immunization of mice with mutated Tyrp1 DNA elicited cross-reactive CD8+ T cell responses against multiple nonmutated epitopes of syngeneic Tyrp1 and against melanoma cells. These multispecific anti-Tyrp1 CD8+ T cell responses led to rejection of poorly immunogenic melanoma and prolonged survival when immunization was started after tumor challenge. These studies demonstrate how rationally designed DNA vaccines directed against self antigens for enhanced antigen processing and presentation reveal novel self epitopes and elicit multispecific T cell responses to nonimmunogenic, nonmutated self antigens, enhancing immunity against cancer self antigens.
Authors
José A. Guevara-Patiño, Manuel E. Engelhorn, Mary Jo Turk, Cailian Liu, Fei Duan, Gabrielle Rizzuto, Adam D. Cohen, Taha Merghoub, Jedd D. Wolchok, Alan N. Houghton
Abstract
We have used a novel conditional transgenic system to study the mechanisms of angioproliferation induced by viral G protein–coupled receptor (vGPCR), the constitutively active chemokine receptor encoded by human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8, also known as Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus). Using this system, we were able to control temporal expression of vGPCR and to monitor its expression in situ via the use of the surrogate marker LacZ. Upon treatment with doxycycline (DOX), cells expressing vGPCR and LacZ (vGPCR/LacZ+ cells) progressively accumulated in areas where angioproliferation was observed. Sorted vGPCR/LacZ+ cells from angiogenic lesions expressed markers characteristic of endothelial progenitor cells, produced angiogenic factors, and proliferated in vitro. Prolonged treatment of transgenic mice with DOX led to development of tumors in the skin of ears, tail, nose, and paws. vGPCR/LacZ+ cells were frequent in early lesions but scarce within these tumors. Finally, transfer of vGPCR/LacZ+ cells into Rag1–/– mice treated with DOX led to angioproliferation and, with time, to development of tumors containing both vGPCR/LacZ+ and vGPCR/LacZ– cells. Taken together, these results indicate that vGPCR triggers angioproliferation directly and suggest a novel role for this molecule in the pathogenesis of Kaposi sarcoma.
Authors
Marcos G. Grisotto, Alexandre Garin, Andrea P. Martin, Kristian K. Jensen, PokMan Chan, Stuart C. Sealfon, Sergio A. Lira
Abstract
Previously we observed that neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) deficiency in β tumor cells facilitates metastasis into distant organs and local lymph nodes. Here, we show that NCAM-deficient β cell tumors grew leaky blood vessels with perturbed pericyte-endothelial cell-cell interactions and deficient perivascular deposition of ECM components. Conversely, tumor cell expression of NCAM in a fibrosarcoma model (T241) improved pericyte recruitment and increased perivascular deposition of ECM molecules. Together, these findings suggest that NCAM may limit tumor cell metastasis by stabilizing the microvessel wall. To directly address whether pericyte dysfunction increases the metastatic potential of solid tumors, we studied β cell tumorigenesis in primary pericyte-deficient Pdgfbret/ret mice. This resulted in β tumor cell metastases in distant organs and local lymph nodes, demonstrating a role for pericytes in limiting tumor cell metastasis. These data support a new model for how tumor cells trigger metastasis by perturbing pericyte-endothelial cell-cell interactions.
Authors
Xiaojie Xian, Joakim Håkansson, Anders Ståhlberg, Per Lindblom, Christer Betsholtz, Holger Gerhardt, Henrik Semb
Abstract
The pathogenesis of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas is associated with independent chromosomal translocations that lead to the upregulation of either BCL10 or MALT1 or the generation of a fusion protein, cIAP2-MALT1. While both BCL10 and MALT1 are critically involved in antigen receptor–mediated NF-κB activation, the role of cIAP2 is not clear. Here we show that cIAP2 is a ubiquitin ligase (E3) of BCL10 and targets it for degradation, inhibiting antigen receptor–mediated cytokine production. cIAP2-MALT1 lacks E3 activity, and concomitantly, the BCL10 protein is stabilized in MALT lymphomas harboring this fusion. Furthermore, BCL10 and cIAP2-MALT1 synergistically activate NF-κB. These results reveal cIAP2 as an inhibitor of antigenic signaling and implicate its dysfunction in MALT lymphomas.
Authors
Shimin Hu, Ming-Qing Du, Sun-Mi Park, Allison Alcivar, Like Qu, Sanjeev Gupta, Jun Tang, Mathijs Baens, Hongtao Ye, Tae H. Lee, Peter Marynen, James L. Riley, Xiaolu Yang
Copyright © 2026 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)