Development of LAG-3/FGL1 blocking peptide and combination with radiotherapy for cancer immunotherapy

Aside from antibodies,peptides show great potential as immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)due to several advantages,such as better tumor penetration and lower cost.Lymphocyte-activation gene 3(LAG-3)is an immune checkpoint which can induce T cell dysfunction through interaction with its soluble ligand fibrinogen like protein-1(FGL1).Here,we found that LAG-3 expression was higher than programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1)in multiple human cancers by TCGA databases,and successfully identified a LAG-3 binding peptide LFP-6 by phage display bio-panning,which specifically blocks the interaction of LAG-3/FGL1 but not LAG-3/MHC-II.Subsequently,D-amino acids were introduced to substitute the N-and C-terminus of LFP-6 to obtain the proteolysis-resistant peptide LFP-D1,which restores T cell function in vitro and inhibits tumor growth in vivo.Further,a bispecific peptide LFOP targeting both PD-1/PD-L1 and LAG-3/FGL1 was designed by conjugating LFP-D1 with PD-1/PD-L1blocking peptide OPBP-1(8-12),which activates T cell with enhanced proliferation and IFN-γ production.More importantly,LFOP combined with radiotherapy significantly improve the T cell infiltration in tumor and elevate systemic antitumor immune response.In conclusion,we developed a novel peptide blocking LAG-3/FGL1 which can restore T cell function,and the bispecific peptide synergizes with radiotherapy to further enhance the antitumor immune response.

Hemin blocks TIGIT/PVR interaction and induces ferroptosis to elicit synergistic effects of cancer immunotherapy

The immune checkpoint TIGIT/PVR blockade exhibits significant antitumor effects through activation of NK and CD8^(+)T cell-mediated cytotoxicity.Immune checkpoint blockade(ICB)could induce tumor ferroptosis through IFN-γreleased by immune cells,indicating the synergetic effects of ICB with ferroptosis in inhibiting tumor growth.However,the development of TIGIT/PVR inhibitors with ferroptosis-inducing effects has not been explored yet.In this study,the small molecule Hemin that could bind withTIGIT to block TIGIT/PVR interaction was screened by virtual molecular docking and cell-based blocking assay.Hemin could effectively restore the IL-2 secretion from Jurkat-hTIGIT cells.Hemin reinvigorated the function of CD8^(+)T cells to secrete IFN-γand the elevated IFN-γcould synergize with Hemin to induce ferroptosis in tumor cells.Hemin inhibited tumor growth by boosting CD8^(+)T cell immune response and inducing ferroptosis in CT26 tumor model.More importantly,Hemin in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade exhibited more effective antitumor efficacy in anti-PD-1 resistant B16 tumor model.In summary,our finding indicated that Hemin blocked TIGIT/PVR interaction and induced tumor cell ferroptosis,which provided a new therapeutic strategy to combine immunotherapy and ferroptosis for cancer treatment.

Identification and optimization of peptide inhibitors to block VISTA/PSGL-1 interaction for cancer immunotherapy

Developing new therapeutic agents for cancer immunotherapy is highly demanding due to the low response ratio of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade in cancer patients.Here,we discovered that the novel immune checkpoint VISTA is highly expressed on a variety of tumor-infiltrating immune cells,especially myeloid derived suppressor cells(MDSCs)and CD8^(+)T cells.Then,peptide C1 with binding affinity to VISTA was developed by phage displayed bio-panning technique,and its mutant peptide VS3 was obtained by molecular docking based mutation.Peptide VS3 could bind VISTA with high affinity and block its interaction with ligand PSGL-1 under acidic condition,and elicit anti-tumor activity in vivo.The peptide DVS3-Pal was further designed by D-amino acid substitution and fatty acid modification,which exhibited strong proteolytic stability and significant anti-tumor activity through enhancing CD8^(+)T cell function and decreasing MDSCs infiltration.This is the first study to develop peptides to block VISTA/PSGL-1 interaction,which could act as promising candidates for cancer immunotherapy.

Computational study of transition metal single-atom catalysts supported on nitrogenated carbon nanotubes for electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction

Developing efficient and stable catalysts for the electrocatalytic N_(2)reduction reaction(NRR)shows promise in nitrogen fixation.Here,we proposed active and stable single-atom catalysts(SACs)toward NRR,where transition metals are anchored on nitrogenated carbon nanotubes(NCNTs).Among the screened nine common transition metals(Ti,V,Cr,Mn,Fe,Mo,Ru,Rh,and Ag)on(4,4)NCNTs,we found Mo-NCNT possesses the most excellent NRR catalytic activity and selectivity with a low overpotential of 0.29 V.Then,the NRR performance of Mo-NCNT was further engineered by controlling the nanotube diameter,where the lowest overpotential is 0.18 V at a diameter of 9.6Å.In addition,we found a linear scaling relation between*NNH and*NH_(2)on the studied catalysts with the exception of(2,2)and(3,3)Mo-NCNTs,owing to their extremely unstable structures.We attribute the outstanding NRR performance of Mo-NCNT to the moderate adsorption of N_(2)due to the slightly low d-band center of Mo,and the charge donating and accepting capacity of NCNTs.This work has provided a deeper insight into designing highefficiency and stable NRR SACs supported by NCNTs.

Blocking of the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction by a novel cyclic peptide inhibitor for cancer immunotherapy

The interaction of PD-1/PD-L1 allows tumor cells to escape from immune surveillance.Clinical success of the antibody drugs has proven that blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is a promising strategy for cancer immunotherapy.Here,we developed a cyclic peptide C8 by using Ph.D.-C7 C phage display technology.C8 showed high binding affinity with h PD-1 and could effectively interfere the interaction of PD-1/PD-L1.Furthermore,C8 could stimulate CD8^(+)T cell activation in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs).We also observed that C8 could suppress tumor growth in CT26 and B16-OVA,as well as anti-PD-1 antibody resistant B16 mouse model.CD8^(+)T cells infiltration significantly increased in tumor microenvironment,and IFN-γsecretion by CD8^(+)T cells in draining lymph nodes also increased.Simultaneously,we exploited T cells depletion models and confirmed that C8 exerted anti-tumor effects via activating CD8^(+)T cells dependent manner.The interaction model of C8 with h PD-1 was simulated and confirmed by alanine scanning.In conclusion,C8 shows anti-tumor capability by blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 interaction,and C8 may provide an alternative candidate for cancer immunotherapy.

Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase 2 controls M2 macrophages polarization to promote esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression via AKT/GSK3β/IL-8 signaling pathway

Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygnease 2(TDO2) is specific for metabolizing tryptophan to kynurenine(KYN),which plays a critical role in mediating immune escape of cancer.Although accumulating evidence demonstrates that TDO2 overexpression is implicated in the development and progression of multiple cancers,its tumor-promoting role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC) remains unclear.Here,we observed that TDO2 was overexpressed in ESCC tis sues and correlated significantly with lymph node metastasis,advanced clinical stage,and unfavorable prognosis.Functional experiments showed that TDO2 promoted tumor cell proliferation,migration,and colony formation,which could be prevented by inhibition of TDO2 and aryl hydrocarb on receptor(AHR).Further experimentation demonstrated that TDO2 could promote the tumor growth of KYSE150 tumor-bearing model,tumor burden of C57 BL/6 mice with ESCC induced by 4-NQO,enhance the expression of phosphorylated AKT,with subsequent pho sphorylation of GSK3β,and polarization of M2 macrophages by upregulating interleukin-8(IL-8) to accelerate tumor progression in the tumor microenvironment(TME).Collectively,our results discovered that TDO2 could upregulate IL-8 through AKT/GSK3β to direct the polarization of M2 macrophages in ESCC,and suggested that TDO2 could represent as an attractive therapeutic target and prognostic marker to ESCC.

Overexpression of Hepcidin Alleviates Steatohepatitis and Fibrosis in a Diet-induced Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis

Background and Aims:Iron overload can contribute to the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH).Hepcidin(Hamp),which is primarily synthesized in hepatocytes,is a key reg-ulator of iron metabolism.However,the role of Hamp in NASH remains unclear.Therefore,we aimed to elucidate the role of Hamp in the pathophysiology of NASH.Methods:Male mice were fed a choline-deficient L-amino acid-defined(CDAA)diet for 16 weeks to establish the mouse NASH model.A choline-supplemented amino acid-defined(CSAA)diet was used as the control diet.Recombinant adeno-asso-ciated virus genome 2 serotype 8 vector expressing Hamp(rAAV2/8-Hamp)or its negative control(rAAV2/8-NC)was administered intravenously at week 8 of either the CDAA or CSAA diet.Results:rAAV2/8-Hamp treatment markedly decreased liver weight and improved hepatic steatosis in the CDAA-fed mice,accompanied by changes in lipogenesis-related genes and adiponectin expression.Compared with the control group,rAAV2/8-Hamp therapy attenuated liver damage,with mice exhibiting reduced histological NAFLD inflammation and fibrosis,as well as lower levels of liver enzymes.Moreover,α-smooth muscle actin-positive acti-vated hepatic stellate cells(HSCs)and CD68-postive mac-rophages increased in number in the CDAA-fed mice,which was reversed by rAAV2/8-Hamp treatment.Consistent with the in vivo findings,overexpression of Hamp increased adi-ponectin expression in hepatocytes and Hamp treatment inhibited HSC activation.Conclusions:Overexpression of Hamp using rAAV2/8-Hamp robustly attenuated liver stea-tohepatitis,inflammation,and fibrosis in an animal model of NASH,suggesting a potential therapeutic role for Hamp.