Tumor-derived DEFB1 induces immune tolerance by inhibiting maturation of dendritic cell and impairing CD8+T cell function in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Objective:CD8+T cells are the key effector cells in the anti-tumor immune response.The mechanism underlying the infiltration of CD8+T cells in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)has not been clearly elucidated.Methods:Fresh ESCC tissues were collected and grouped according to the infiltration density of CD8+T cells.After the transcriptome sequencing on these samples and the combined analyses with The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)ESCC data,a secreted protein DEFB1 was selected to explore its potential role in the infiltration of CD8+T cells.Bioinformatics analyses,histological verification and in vitro experiments were then performed.Results:DEFB1 was highly expressed in ESCC,and the high expression of DEFB1 was an independent risk factor for overall survival.Since the up-regulation or down-regulation of DEFB1 did not affect the proliferation,migration and apoptosis of ESCC cells,we speculated that the oncogenic effect of DEFB1 was achieved by regulating microenvironmental characteristics.Bioinformatics analyses suggested that DEFB1 might play a major role in the inflammatory response and anti-tumor immune response,and correlate to the infiltration of immature dendritic cell(imDC)in ESCC.Histological analyses further confirmed that there were less CD8+T cells infiltrated,less CD83+mature DC(mDC)infiltrated and more CD1a+imDC infiltrated in those ESCC samples with high expression of DEFB1.After the treatment with recombinant DEFB1 protein,the maturation of DC was hindered significantly,followed by the impairment of the killing effects of T cells in both 2D and 3D culture in vitro.Conclusions:Tumor-derived DEFB1 can inhibit the maturation of DC and weaken the function of CD8+T cells,accounting for the immune tolerance in ESCC.The role of DEFB1 in ESCC deserves further exploration.

An isoflavone derivative potently inhibits the angiogenesis and progression of triple-negative breast cancer by targeting the MTA2/SerRS/VEGFA pathway

Objective:Angiogenesis plays a vital role in tumor growth and metastasis.Here,we aimed to find novel efficient antiangiogenic molecules targeting vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA)at the transcriptional level to treat triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC).Methods:We used a cell-based seryl tRNA synthetase(SerRS)promoter-driven dual-luciferase reporter system to screen an in-house library of 384 naturally occurring small molecules and their derivatives to find candidate molecules that could upregulate the expression of SerRS,a potent transcriptional repressor of VEGFA.The levels of SerRS and VEGFA were examined by quantitative RT-PCR(qRT-PCR),western blotting,and/or ELISAs in TNBC cells after candidate molecule administration.Zebrafish,the Matrigel plug angiogenesis assay in mice,the TNBC allograft,and xenograft mouse models were used to evaluate thein vivoanti-angiogenic and anti-cancer activities.Furthermore,the potential direct targets of the candidates were identified by proteomics and biochemical studies.Results:We found the most active compound was 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)quinolin-4(1H)-one(MEQ),an isoflavone derivative.In TNBC cells,MEQ treatment resulted in increased SerRS mRNA(P<0.001)and protein levels and downregulated VEGFA production.Both the vascular development of zebrafish and Matrigel plug angiogenesis in mice were inhibited by MEQ.MEQ also suppressed the angiogenesis in TNBC allografts and xenografts in mice,resulting in inhibited tumor growth and prolonged overall survival(P<0.05).Finally,we found that MEQ regulated SerRS transcription by interacting with MTA2(Metastasis Associated 1 Family Member 2).Conclusions:Our findings suggested that the MTA2/SerRS/VEGFA axis is a drug-treatable anti-angiogenic target,and MEQ is a promising anti-tumor molecule that merits further investigation for clinical applications.

Phase Ⅲ Clinical Trials of the Cell Differentiation Agent-2 （CDA-2）： Therapeutic Efficacy on Breast Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and Primary Hepatoma

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to explore the effect of CDA-2, a selective inhibitor of abnormal methylation enzymes in cancer cells, on the therapeutic efficacy of cytotoxic chemotherapy. METHODS Advanced cancer patients, all of whom had previously undergone chemotherapy, were randomly divided into 2 groups, one receiving chemotherapy only as the control group, and the other receiving CDA-2 in addition to chemotherapy as the combination group. The therapeutic efficacies and the toxic maniestations of the 2 groups were compared based on the WHO criteria. RESULTS Of 454 cancer patients enrolled in phase Ⅲ clinical trials of CDA-2, 80, 188, and 186 were breast cancer, NSCLC, and primary hepatoma patients, respectively. Among them 378 patients completed treatments according to the protocols. The results showed that the overall effective rate of the combination group was 2.6 fold that of the control group, 4.8 fold in the case of breast cancer, 2.3 fold in the case of primary hepatoma, and 2.2 fold in the case of NSCLC. Surprisingly, the combination therapy appeared to work better for stage Ⅳ than stage Ⅲ patients. CDA-2 did not contribute additional toxicity. On the contrary, it reduced toxic manifestations of chemotherapy, particularly regarding white blood cells, nausea and vomiting. CONCLUSION Modulation of abnormal methylation enzymes by CDA-2 is definitely helpful to supplement chemotherapy. It significantly increased the therapeutic efficacy and reduced the toxic manifestation of cytotoxic chemotherapy on breast cancer and NSCLC.

Efficacy of pemetrexed combined with erlotinib/gefitinib in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients during tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment

Objective We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pemetrexed combined with erlotinib/gefitinib in advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) patients during tyrosine kinase inhibitor(TKI) treatment. Methods Thirty-two patients with advanced NSCLC were divided into two groups. Patients in the control group received continuous daily epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor(EGFRTKI) treatment, and patients in the experimental group received continuous daily EGFR-TKI along with pemetrexed treatment, which was administered on day 1 at 500 mg/m2. Erlotinib(150 mg) or gefitinib(250 mg) was administered daily from day 1 to day 21, with a cycle of every 21 days. Dexamethasone, folic acid, and vitamin B12 were also administered during the treatment. The endpoint of the primary study was the disease control rate. Results The objective response rate was 21.9%(95% CI: 7.6% to 36.3%) in the control group, whereas the disease control rate was 84.4%(95% CI: 71.8% to 97.0%) in the experimental group. The median progression-free survival was 6.2(95% CI: 2.4 to 10.0). Grades 3 or 4 adverse effects of leucopenia(15.6%), neutropenia(12.5%), anemia(3.1%), and nausea or vomiting(3.1%) were found in the experimental group.Conclusion The administration of pemetrexed combined with erlotinib or gefitinib showed a higher efficacy in TKI-resistant NSCLC patients. Further, the adverse effects of this drug combination were well tolerated by the patients. Pemetrexed combined with TKI treatment might provide a satisfactory therapeutic strategy for advanced NSCLC patients after TKI treatment.

Prognostic Significance of Tumor-infiltrating CD8^＋ or CD3^＋ T Lymphocytes and Interleukin-2 Expression in Radically Resected Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Background：Altered immunoresponse is associated with tumorigenesis and cancer progression.This study assessed the levels of tumor-infiltrating CD3^＋ or CD8^＋ T lymphocytes and interleukin-2 （IL-2） protein in radically resected non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） tissues to predict overall survival （OS） of the patients.Methods：Paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from 129 NSCLC patients were retrospectively collected for immunostaining of CD8^＋,CD3^＋,and IL-2 expression.Clinicopathological and survival data were collected and analyzed using the Chi-squared test,Kaplan-Meier curves,and the log-rank test or the Cox regression model.Results：The data showed a significant inverse association between CD8^＋ T lymphocyte levels and IL-2 expression （r =-0.927; P =0.000） and between the levels of CD8^＋ and CD3^＋ T lymphocytes （r =-0.722; P =0.000）,but a positive association between CD3^＋ T lymphocyte levels and IL-2 expression （r =0.781; P =0.000） in NSCLC tissues.Furthermore,the levels of CD3^＋ and CD8^＋ T lymphocytes and IL-2 expression were associated with tumor stage （P =0.023,0.006,and 0.031,respectively） and the level of CD8^＋ T lymphocytes was associated with the patient gender （P =0.024）.In addition,the levels of CD8^＋ T lymphocytes were associated with an unfavorable 5-year OS,whereas patients with high levels of CD3^＋ T lymphocytes in tumor lesions and IL-2-expressing tumors had significantly better 5-year OS rates than patients with low levels.Conclusions：The levels of CD8^＋ T cells in tumor lesions and IL-2 expression were both independent predictors of OS for these NSCLC patients.Thus,the detection of tumor-infiltrating CD3^＋ or CD8^＋ T lymphocytes and IL-2 expression could be useful to predict the prognosis of radically resected NSCLC patients.

Bisphenol A in combination with TNF-a selectively induces Th2 cell-promoting dendritic cells in vitro with an estrogen-like activity

Bisphenol A(BPA)is a monomer used in manufacturing a wide range of chemical products,including epoxy resins and polycarbonate.BPA,an important endocrine disrupting chemical that exerts estrogen-like activities,is detectable at nanomolar levels in human serum worldwide.The pregnancy associated doses of 17b-estradiol(E2)plus tumor-necrosis factor-a(TNF-a)induce distorted maturation of human dendritic cells(DCs)that result in an increased capacity to induce T helper(Th)2 responses.The current study demonstrated that the presence of BPA during DC maturation influences the function of human DCs,thereby polarizing the subsequent Th response.In the presence of TNF-a,BPA treatment enhanced the expression of CC chemokine ligand 1(CCL1)in DCs.In addition,DCs exposed to BPA/TNF-a produced higher levels of IL-10 relative to those of IL-12p70 on CD40 ligation,and preferentially induced Th2 deviation.BPA exerts the same effect with E2 at the same dose(0.01–0.1 mM)with regard to DC-mediated Th2 polarization.These findings imply that DCs exposed to BPA will provide one of the initial signals driving the development and perpetuation of Th2-dominated immune response in allergic reactions.