Oncology
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive and often deadly malignancy associated with proliferative immature myeloid blasts. Here, we identified CD84 as a critical survival regulator in AML. High levels of CD84 expression provided a survival advantage to leukemia cells, whereas CD84 downregulation disrupted their proliferation, clonogenicity and engraftment capabilities in both human cell lines and patient derived xenograft cells. Critically, loss of CD84 also markedly blocked leukemia engraftment and clonogenicity in MLL-AF9 and inv(16) AML mouse models, highlighting its pivotal role as survival factor across species. Mechanistically, CD84 regulated leukemia cells’ energy metabolism and mitochondrial dynamics. Depletion of CD84 altered mitochondrial ultra-structure and function of leukemia cells, and it caused down-modulation of both oxidative phosphorylation and fatty acid oxidation pathways. CD84 knockdown induced a block of Akt phosphorylation and down-modulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), impairing AML antioxidant defense. Conversely, CD84 over-expression stabilized NRF2 and promoted its transcriptional activation, thereby supporting redox homeostasis and mitochondrial function in AML. Collectively, our findings indicated that AML cells depend on CD84 to support antioxidant pro-survival pathways, highlighting a therapeutic vulnerability of leukemia cells.
Authors
Yinghui Zhu, Mariam Murtadha, Miaomiao Liu, Enrico Caserta, Ottavio Napolitano, Le Xuan Truong Nguyen, Huafeng Wang, Milad Moloudizargari, Lokesh Nigam, Theophilus Tandoh, Xuemei Wang, Alex Pozhitkov, Rui Su, Xiangjie Lin, Marc Denisse Estepa, Raju Pillai, Joo Song, James F. Sanchez, Yu-Hsuan Fu, Lianjun Zhang, Man Li, Bin Zhang, Ling Li, Ya-Huei Kuo, Steven Rosen, Guido Marcucci, John C. Williams, Flavia Pichiorri
Abstract
Telomere biology disorders (TBD) are genetic diseases caused by defective telomere maintenance. TBD patients often develop bone marrow failure and have an increased risk of myeloid neoplasms. To better understand the factors underlying hematopoietic outcomes in TBD, we comprehensively evaluated acquired genetic alterations in hematopoietic cells from 166 pediatric and adult TBD patients. 47.6% of patients (28.8% of children, 56.1% of adults) had clonal hematopoiesis. Recurrent somatic alterations involved telomere maintenance genes (7.6%), spliceosome genes (10.4%, mainly U2AF1 p.S34), and chromosomal alterations (20.2%), including 1q gain (5.9%). Somatic variants affecting the DNA damage response (DDR) were identified in 21.5% of patients, including 20 presumed loss-of-function variants in ATM. Using multimodal approaches, including single-cell sequencing, assays of ATM activation, telomere dysfunction-induced foci analysis, and cell growth assays, we demonstrate telomere dysfunction-induced activation of ATM-dependent DDR pathway with increased senescence and apoptosis in TBD patient cells. Pharmacologic ATM inhibition, modeling the effects of somatic ATM variants, selectively improved TBD cell fitness by allowing cells to bypass DDR-mediated senescence without detectably inducing chromosomal instability. Our results indicate that ATM-dependent DDR induced by telomere dysfunction is a key contributor to TBD pathogenesis and suggest dampening hyperactive ATM-dependent DDR as a potential therapeutic intervention.
Authors
Christopher M. Sande, Stone Chen, Dana V. Mitchell, Ping Lin, Diana M. Abraham, Jessie M. Cheng, Talia Gebhard, Rujul J. Deolikar, Colby Freeman, Mary Zhou, Sushant Kumar, Michael Bowman, Robert L. Bowman, Shannon Zheng, Bolormaa Munkhbileg, Qijun Chen, Natasha L. Stanley, Kathy Guo, Ajibike Lapite, Ryan Hausler, Deanne M. Taylor, James Corines, Jennifer J.D. Morrissette, David B. Lieberman, Guang Yang, Olga Shestova, Saar Gill, Jiayin Zheng, Kelcy Smith-Simmer, Lauren G. Banaszak, Kyle N. Shoger, Erica F. Reinig, Madilynn Peterson, Peter Nicholas, Amanda J. Walne, Inderjeet Dokal, Justin P. Rosenheck, Karolyn A. Oetjen, Daniel C. Link, Andrew E. Gelman, Christopher R. Reilly, Ritika Dutta, R. Coleman Lindsley, Karyn J. Brundige, Suneet Agarwal, Alison A. Bertuch, Jane E. Churpek, Laneshia K. Tague, F. Brad Johnson, Timothy S. Olson, Daria V. Babushok
Abstract
The Wnt/β-catenin pathway regulates expression of the SOX9 gene, which encodes SRY-box transcription factor 9, a differentiation factor and potential β-catenin regulator. Because APC tumor suppressor defects in ~80% of colorectal cancers (CRCs) activate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, we studied SOX9 inactivation in CRC biology. Compared to effects of Apc inactivation in mouse colon tumors, combined Apc and Sox9 inactivation instigated more invasive tumors with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and SOX2 stem cell factor upregulation. In an independent mouse CRC model with combined Apc, Kras, and Trp53 defects, Sox9 inactivation promoted SOX2 induction and distant metastases. About 20% of 171 human CRCs showed loss of SOX9 protein expression, which correlated with higher tumor grade. In an independent group of 376 CRC patients, low SOX9 gene expression was linked to poor survival, earlier age at diagnosis, and increased lymph node involvement. SOX9 expression reductions in human CRC were linked to promoter methylation. EMT pathway gene expression changes were prominent in human CRCs with low SOX9 expression and in a mouse cancer model with high SOX2 expression. Our results indicate SOX9 has tumor suppressor function in CRC; its loss may promote progression, invasion, and poor prognosis by enhancing EMT and stem cell phenotypes.
Authors
Ying Feng, Ningxin Zhu, Karan Bedi, Jinju Li, Chamila Perera, Maranne Green, Naziheh Assarzadegan, Yali Zhai, Qingzhi Liu, Veerabhadran Baladandayuthapani, Jason R. Spence, Kathleen R. Cho, Eric R. Fearon
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is characterized by an immune-suppressive microenvironment that contributes to tumor progression and immunotherapy resistance. The gut microbiome produces diverse metabolites that feature unique mechanisms of interaction with host targets, yet the role of many metabolites in CRC remains poorly understood. In this study, the microbial metabolite 4-hydroxybenzeneacetic acid (4-HPA) promoted the infiltration of polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs) in the tumor microenvironment, consequently inhibiting the anti-tumor response of CD8+ T cells and promoting CRC progression in vivo. Mechanistically, 4-HPA activates the JAK2/STAT3 pathway, which upregulates CXCL3 transcription, thereby recruiting PMN-MDSCs to the CRC microenvironment. Selective knockdown of CXCL3 re-sensitized tumors to anti-PD1 immunotherapy in vivo. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) reduces the production of 4-HPA by microbiota, likewise abolishing 4-HPA-mediated immunosuppression. The 4-HPA content in CRC tissues was notably increased in patients with advanced CRC. Overall, the gut microbiome uses 4-HPA as a messenger to control chemokine-dependent accumulation of PMN-MDSC cells and regulate anti-tumor immunity in CRC. Our findings provide a scientific basis for establishing clinical intervention strategies to reverse the tumor immune microenvironment and improve the efficacy of immunotherapy by reducing the interaction between intestinal microbiota, tumor cells and tumor immune cells.
Authors
Qing Liao, Ximing Zhou, Ling Wu, Yuyi Yang, Xiaohui Zhu, Hangyu Liao, Yujie Zhang, Weidong Lian, Feifei Zhang, Hui Wang, Yanqing Ding, Liang Zhao
Abstract
Hyaluronan (HA) in the extracellular matrix promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis; however, the mechanism by which the HA network constructed by cancer cells regulates cancer progression and metastasis in the tumor microenvironment (TME) remains largely unknown. In this study, inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain 2 (ITIH2), an HA-binding protein, was confirmed to be secreted from mesenchymal-like lung cancer cells when co-cultured with cancer-associated fibroblasts. ITIH2 expression is transcriptionally upregulated by the EMT-inducing transcription factor ZEB1, along with HA synthase 2 (HAS2), which positively correlates with ZEB1 expression. Depletion of ITIH2 and HAS2 reduced HA matrix formation and the migration and invasion of lung cancer cells. Furthermore, ZEB1 facilitates alternative splicing and isoform expression of CD44, an HA receptor, and CD44 knockdown suppresses the motility and invasiveness of lung cancer cells. Using a deep learning-based drug-target interaction algorithm, we identified an ITIH2 inhibitor (sincalide) that inhibited HA matrix formation and migration of lung cancer cells, preventing metastatic colonization of lung cancer cells in mouse models. These findings suggest that ZEB1 remodels the HA network in the TME through the regulation of ITIH2, HAS2, and CD44, presenting a strategy for targeting this network to suppress lung cancer progression.
Authors
Sieun Lee, Jihye Park, Seongran Cho, Eun Ju Kim, Seonyeong Oh, Younseo Lee, Sungsoo Park, Keunsoo Kang, Dong Hoon Shin, Song Yi Ko, Jonathan M. Kurie, Young-Ho Ahn
Abstract
Activating the immune co-stimulatory receptor 4-1BB (CD137) with agonist antibody binding and crosslinking-inducing agents that elicit 4-1BB intracellular signaling potentiates the antitumor responses of CD8 T cells. However, the underlying in-depth mechanisms remain to be defined. Here, we show that agonistic 4-1BB treatment of activated CD8+ T cells under continuous antigenic stimulation are more metabolically vulnerable to redox perturbation by ablation of intracellular glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) inhibition. Further, genetic deletion of adenosine A2B receptor (A2BR) induces superior survival and expansion advantage of competent CD8+ T cells with agonistic 4-1BB costimulation, leading to more effective antitumor efficacy of adoptive cell therapy (ACT). Mechanistically, A2BR deletion helps sustain the increased energy and biosynthetic requirements through the GSH-GPX4 axis upon 4-1BB costimulation. A2BR deletion in combination with agonistic 4-1BB costimulation displays a greater ability to promote antitumor CD8+ effector T cell survival and expansion while mitigating T cell exhaustion. Thus, the A2BR pathway plays an important role in metabolic reprogramming with potentiation of the GSH-GPX4 cascade upon agonistic 4-1BB costimulation that allows the fine-tuning of the antitumor responses of CD8+ T cells.
Authors
Jihae Ahn, Ping Xie, Siqi Chen, Guilan Shi, Jie Fan, Minghui Zhang, Hui Tang, Amanda R. Zuckerman, Deyu Fang, Yong Wan, Timothy M. Kuzel, Yi Zhang, Bin Zhang
Abstract
Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are emerging solid-tumor indicators of prognosis and response to immunotherapy. Considering that tumorigenesis requires metabolic reprogramming and subsequent TME remodeling, the discovery of TLS metabolic regulators is expected to produce immunotherapeutic targets. To identify such metabolic regulators, we constructed a metabolism-focused sgRNA library and performed an in vivo CRISPR screening in an orthotopic lung tumor mouse model. Combined with The Cancer Genome Atlas database analysis of TLS-related metabolic hub genes, we found that the loss of Acat1 in tumor cells sensitized tumors to anti-PD1 treatment, accompanied by increased TLS in the TME. Mechanistic studies revealed that ACAT1 resulted in mitochondrial protein hypersuccinylation in lung tumor cells and subsequently enhanced mitochondrial oxidative metabolism, which impeded TLS formation. Elimination of ROS by NAC or Acat1 knockdown promoted B cell aggregation and TLS construction. Consistently, data from tissue microassays of 305 patients with lung cancer showed that TLS were more abundant in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues with lower ACAT1 expression. Intratumoral ACAT1 expression was associated with poor immunotherapy outcomes in patients with NSCLC. In conclusion, our results identified ACAT1 as a metabolic regulator of TLS and a promising immunotherapeutic target in NSCLC.
Authors
Mengxia Jiao, Yifan Guo, Hongyu Zhang, Haoyu Wen, Peng Chen, Zhiqiang Wang, Baichao Yu, Kameina Zhuma, Yuchen Zhang, Jingbo Qie, Yun Xing, Pengyuan Zhao, Zihe Pan, Luman Wang, Dan Zhang, Fei Li, Yijiu Ren, Chang Chen, Yiwei Chu, Jie Gu, Ronghua Liu
Abstract
Lysyl hydroxylase 2 (LH2) is highly expressed in multiple tumor types and accelerates disease progression by hydroxylating lysine residues on fibrillar collagen telopeptides to generate stable collagen cross links in tumor stroma. Here, we show that a galactosylhydroxylysyl glucosyltransferase (GGT) domain on LH2-modified type-VI collagen (Col6) to promote lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) growth and metastasis. In tumors generated by LUAD cells lacking LH2 GGT domain activity, stroma was less stiff, and stable types of collagen cross links were reduced. Mass spectrometric analysis of total and glycosylated peptides in parental and GGT-inactive tumor samples identified Col6 chain α3 (Col6a3), a component of the Col6 heterotrimeric molecule, as a candidate LH2 substrate. In gain- and loss-of-function studies, high Col6a3 levels increased tumor growth and metastatic activity and enhanced the proliferative, migratory, and invasive activities of LUAD cells. LH2 coimmunoprecipitated with Col6a3, and LH2 glucosylated Col6 in an in vitro reaction. Glucosylation increased the integrin-binding and promigratory activities of Col6 in LUAD cells. Col6a3 K2049 was deglucosylated in GGT-inactive tumor samples, and mutagenesis of Col6a3 K2049 phenocopied Col6a3 deficiency or LH2 GGT domain inactivation in LUAD cells. Thus, LH2 glucosylates Col6 to drive LUAD progression. These findings show that the GGT domain of LH2 is protumorigenic, identify Col6 as a candidate effector, and provide a rationale to develop pharmacological strategies that target LH2’s GGT domain in cancer cells.
Authors
Shike Wang, Houfu Guo, Reo Fukushima, Masahiko Terajima, Min Liu, Guan-Yu Xiao, Lenka Koudelková, Chao Wu, Xin Liu, Jiang Yu, Emma Burris, Jun Xu, Alvise Schiavinato, William K. Russell, Mitsuo Yamauchi, Xiaochao Tan, Jonathan M. Kurie
Abstract
The anti-metastatic activity of NK cells is well established in several cancer types, but the mechanisms underlying NK cell metastasis infiltration and acquisition of anti-tumor characteristics remain unclear. Herein, we investigated the cellular and molecular factors required to facilitate the generation of an ILC1-like CD49a+NK cell population within the liver metastasis (LM) environment of colorectal cancer (CRC). We show that CD49a+NK cells had the highest cytotoxic capacity among metastasis-infiltrating NK cells in the MC38 mouse model. Furthermore, the chemokine receptor CXCR3 promoted CD49a+NK cell accumulation and persistence in metastasis where NK cells co-localize with macrophages in CXCL9 and CXCL10 rich areas. By mining a published scRNA-seq dataset of a cohort of treatment-naïve CRC patients, we confirmed the accumulation of CXCR3+NK cells in metastatic samples. Conditional deletion of Cxcr3 in NKp46+ cells and antibody-mediated depletion of metastasis-associated macrophages impaired CD49a+NK cell development, indicating that CXCR3 and macrophages contribute to efficient NK cell localization and polarization in LM. Conversely, CXCR3neg NK cells maintained a CD49a- phenotype in metastasis with reduced parenchymal infiltration and tumor killing capacity. Furthermore, CD49a+NK cell accumulation was impaired in an independent SL4-induced CRC metastasis model, which fails to accumulate CXCL9+ macrophages. Together, our results highlight a role for CXCR3/ligand axis in promoting macrophage-dependent NK cell accumulation and functional sustenance in CRC LM.
Authors
Eleonora Russo, Chiara D'Aquino, Chiara Di Censo, Mattia Laffranchi, Luana Tomaipitinca, Valerio Licursi, Stefano Garofalo, Johann Promeuschel, Giovanna Peruzzi, Francesca Sozio, Anna Kaffke, Cecilia Garlanda, Ulf Panzer, Cristina Limatola, Christian A. J. Vosshenrich, Silvano Sozzani, Giuseppe Sciumè, Angela Santoni, Giovanni Bernardini
Abstract
Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the most prominent immune cell population in the glioblastoma (GBM) tumor microenvironment (TME) and play critical roles in promoting tumor progression and immunosuppression. Here we identified that TAM-derived legumain (LGMN) exhibited a dual role in regulating the biology of TAMs and GBM cells. LGMN promoted macrophage infiltration in a cell-autonomous manner by activating the GSK3b-STAT3 pathway. Moreover, TAM-derived LGMN activated the integrin aV-AKT-P65 signaling to drive GBM cell proliferation and survival. Targeting LGMN-directed macrophage (inhibiting GSK3b and STAT3) and GBM cell (inhibiting integrin aV) mechanisms resulted in an anti-tumor effect in immunocompetent GBM mouse models that was further enhanced when combined with anti-PD1 therapy. Our study reveals a paracrine and autocrine mechanism of TAM-derived LGMN in promoting GBM progression and immunosuppression, providing effective therapeutic targets for improving immunotherapy in GBM.
Authors
Lizhi Pang, Songlin Guo, Yuyun Huang, Fatima Khan, Yang Liu, Fei Zhou, Justin D. Lathia, Peiwen Chen
Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)