Study of the Peripheral Blood CD44 Expression in the Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Previous study has demonstrated that the peripheral blood CD44 expression level is related with the clinical stage and lymph node metastasis of lung cancer. The present comment was to investigate the relationship between the peripheral blood CD44 expression level and clinic pathological change in 50 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by flow cytometry method. The results showed that 1) the peripheral blood CD44 expression level in the NSCLC group was higher than that in the benign group (467 ± 15) or the normal group (448 ± 15);2) operation decreased the peripheral blood CD44 expression level in the NSCLC group (533 ± 10 vs. 324 ± 11);3) it also showed same results in NSCLC patients with and without lymph node metastasis (559 ± 12 vs. 477 ± 15) or before and after chemotherapy (550 ± 13 vs. 372 ± 10);4) there were significant differences in the peripheral blood CD44 expression level in non-small cell lung cancer patients of the clinical stage I, II, III and IV (474 ± 14, 526 ± 12, 528 ± 16 and 599 ± 20);And the peripheral blood CD44 expression level was not associated with the clinical pathology parameter including the patient age, gender and tumor size. The data suggested that the peripheral blood CD44 expression level was related with the NSCLC progress, lymphatic metastasis and clinical treatment, and the peripheral blood CD44 expression level as the clinical regular examination should evaluate the progress, lymphatic metastasis and clinical treatment for the patients with NSCLC.

Expression of PD1 and BTLA on the CD8^+T Cell and γδT Cell Subsets in Peripheral Blood of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

Objective To investigate the expression and regulation of programmed cell death protein 1(PD1),B lymphocyte and T lymphocyte attenuator(BTLA)in peripheral blood of patients with non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC);to examine the correlation of the mRNA levels between PD and BTLA in NSCLC.Methods Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of PD1 and BTLA on the surfaces of CD8^+T cells andγδ+T cells in the peripheral blood samples collected from 32 in-patients with stage IV NSCLC and 30 healthy individuals.We compared the expression of PD1 and BTLA on the surfaces ofγδ+T cells in the NSCLC patients with bone metastasis before and after the treatment of zoledronic acid.The correlations of PD1 and BTLA,as well as their ligands were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis with the cBioPortal data platform.Results The frequency of PD1 on the surfaces of CD8^+T cells was significantly higher than that of theγδT cells in both healthy controls(t=2.324,P=0.024)and NSCLC patients(t=2.498,P=0.015).The frequency of PD1 on CD8^+T cells,rather than onγδ+T cells,was significantly upregulated in advanced NSCLC patients compared with that in healthy controls(t=4.829,P<0.001).The PD1+BTLA+γδT cells of the healthy controls were significantly lower than that of the NSCLC patients(t=2.422,P=0.0185).No differences in percentage of PD1+γδ+and BTLA+γδ+T cells were observed in 7 NSCLC patients with bone metastasis before and after zoledronic acid treatment.PD1 was positively correlated with BTLA in both lung adenocarcinoma(r=0.54;P<0.05)and lung squamous cell carcinoma(r=0.78;P<0.05).Conclusions The upregulation of co-inhibitory molecules occurs on the surfaces of both CD8^+T cells andγδT cells in advanced NSCLC,suggesting that these molecules were involved in regulating the inactivation of CD8^+T cells andγδ+T cells,immune escape and tumor invasion.

Expression of Nerve Growth Factor and Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α and Its Correlation with Angiogenesis in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Summary： In order to investigate the expression of nerve growth factor （NGF） and hypoxia inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α） and its correlation with angiogenesis in non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks from 20 patients with NSCLC were examined. Twenty corresponding para-cancerous lung tissue specimens were obtained to serve as a control. The expression of NGF, HIF-1α, and vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） in the NSCLC tissues was detected by using immunohistochemistry. The microvascular density （MVD） was determined by CD31 staining. The resuits showed that the expression levels ofNGF, HIF-1α and VEGF in the NSCLC tissues were remarkably higher than those in the para-cancerous lung tissues （P〈0.05）. There was significant difference in the MVD between the NSCLC tissues （9.19±1.43） and para-cancerous lung tissues （2.23±1.19） （P〈0.05）. There were positive correlations between NGF and VEGF, between HIF-1α and VEGF, and between NGF and HIF-1α in NSCLC tissues, with the spearman correlation coefficient being 0.588, 0.519 and 0.588, respectively. In NSCLC tissues, the MVD had a positive correlation with the three factors （P〈0.05）. Theses results suggest that NGF and HIF-1α are synergically involved in the angiogenesis of NSCLC.

SETDB1-mediated CD147-K71 di-methylation promotes cell apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer

Protein post-translational modifications(PTMs)are at the heart status of cellular signaling events and broadly involved in tumor progression.CD147 is a tumor biomarker with various PTMs,promoting tumor metastasis and metabolism reprogramming.Nevertheless,the relationship between the PTMs of CD147 and apoptosis has not been reported.In our study,we produced a specific anti-CD147-K71 di-methylation(CD147-K71me2)antibody by immunizing with a di-methylated peptide and observed that the level of CD147-K71me2 in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)tissues were lower than that in NSCLC adjacent tissues.SETDB1 was identified as the methyltransferase catalyzing CD147 to generate CD147-K71me2.RNA-seq showed that FOSB was the most significant differentially expressed gene(DEG)between wild-type CD147(CD147-WT)and K71-mutant CD147(CD147-K71R)groups.Subsequently,we found that CD147-K71me2 promoted the expression of FOSB by enhancing the phosphorylation of p38,leading to tumor cell apoptosis.In vivo experiments showed that CD147-K71me2 significantly inhibited tumor progression by promoting cell apoptosis.Taken together,our findings indicate the inhibitory role of CD147-K71me2 in tumor progression from the perspective of post-translational modification,which is distinct from the pro-cancer function of CD147 itself,broadening our perspective on tumor-associated antigen CD147.

INVESTIGATION OF REGULATORY T CELLS IN PATIENTS WITH NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER

Objective To evaluate the prevalence of CD4 ^＋ CD25^high regulatory T cells （ Treg cells） in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells （PBMC） and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes （TIL） of patients with non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） and to investigate immunosuppression to the progression of cancer. Methods Peripheral blood and tumor tissues were collected from 20 patients with NSCLC at the time of surgery. None of the patients received surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or other medical interventions before this study. Cancer stages of the patients were Ⅰ-Ⅲ A. Venous blood samples were obtained from 20 health donors. PBMC were isolated from blood samples by differential centrifugation over Ficoll-Hypaque. TILs were isolated from tumors by differential centrifugation over Ficoll-Hypaque and Percoll. Percentage of CD4^＋ CD25^highTr/CD4＋T in PBMC and TIL was assessed by the flow cytometry. Results The percentage of CD4^ ＋ CD25high Tr/ CD4 ^＋T in PBMC [ （4. 87 ± 1.22 ） % ] of NSCLC patients was significantly higher than that in healthy donors [ （ 2.36 ± 0. 72 ） % ] （ P 〈 0.01 ）. The percentage of CD4^＋ CD25^highTr/ CD4^＋ T in PBMC [ （5.40 ± 1.20） % ] of NSCLC patients in stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ A was significantly higher than that in stage Ⅰ [ （3. 87 ± 0. 22 ） % ] （ P 〈 0. 01 ）. The percentage of CD4 ＋ CD25hiShTr/ CD4 ＋ T in TIL[ （ 8. 66 ±0. 76） % ] of NSCLC patients in stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ A was significantly higher than that in stage Ⅰ [ （ 7. 04 ± 0. 80） % ] （ P 〈 0. 01 ）. Conclusion The prevalence of CD4 ^＋ CD25^highTreg cells in PBMC and TIL of NSCLC patients was significantly higher than that in healthy donors. These Treg cells may be preventing appropriate antitumor immune responses. The population of CD4^ ＋ CD25^highTreg cells in PBMC and TILs of NSCLC patients with Ⅱ-Ⅲ A stage was significantly higher than that of NSCLC patients with Ⅰ stage. These Treg cells may facilitate development of tumors.

人非小细胞肺癌rasP^(21)和CD_(44)的表达及意义

用免疫组化ＬＳＡＢ法检测４６例非小细胞肺癌ｒａｓＰ２１和ＣＤ４４的表达。结果：ｒａｓＰ２１的阳性率鳞癌为５９％，腺癌６３％；ＣＤ４４的阳性率鳞癌为４１％，腺癌６３％。统计学分析证明：不同临床分期的ｒａｓＰ２１表达强度有显著性差异（Ｐ＜００１）；有淋巴结转移与无淋巴结转移的ＣＤ４４表达程度有显著性差异（鳞癌Ｐ＜００１，腺癌Ｐ＜００２５）；ｒａｓＰ２１与ＣＤ４４表达强度两者无相关性（Ｐ＜００５）。结论：ｒａｓＰ２１的表达与预后不良有关，ＣＤ４４的表达与淋巴结转移有关。

CD4^+CD25^(high) Regulatory Cells in Peripheral Blood of NSCLC Patients

The proportion and changes of CD4^＋CD25^high regulatory T cells （Trs） in peripheral blood of non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） patients were analyzed and their clinical significance explored. The peripheral blood was collected from 61 patients with NSCLC and 15 healthy controls. By using monoclonal antibodies, the blood samples were evaluated with the flow cytometry for lymphocyte subsets （CD3^＋, CD4^＋ and CD8^＋） and CD4^＋CD25^high Tr cells. The results showed that the proportion of CD4^＋CD25^high Tr cells in NSCLC group was significantly higher than in control group [（4.36 ±2.07） % vs （2.04±1.03） %, P〈0.01]. The proportion of CD4^＋CD25^ high Tr cells in late stage was higher than that in early stage [stages Ⅰ ＋Ⅱ （2.264±0.6） %; stage Ⅲ（3.284± 1.38） %; stage IV （6.06 4±4.08） %] （P〈0.05）. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the prognosis of the patients who had higher proportion of CD4^＋CD25^high Tr cells in peripheral blood was worse （P=0.0026）. In conclusion, the relative increase in CD4^＋CD25^high Tr cells in peripheral blood may be related to im- munosuppression and tumor progression in patients with NSCLC. This finding suggests that CD4^＋CD25^high Tr cells in peripheral blood of NSCLC may be positive for prognosis analysis. The use of depletion of the CD4^＋CD25^high Tr cell therapy to treat NSCLC patients may be an effective strategy.

CD8 T cell response in a phase I study of therapeutic vaccination of advanced NSCLC with allogeneic tumor cells secreting endoplasmic reticulum-chaperone gp96-Ig-peptide complexes

Antigen containing, allogeneic cells secreting the genetically modified protein and peptide-chaperone gp96-Ig cross, prime and expand antigen specific CD8 T cells with therapeutic antitumor activity in mice. In a first in man phase I study, we now report the results of therapeutic vaccination of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with an established, allogeneic non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma cell line secreting gp96-Ig. Advanced NSCLC-patients stage IIIB or IV of any histological subtype were enrolled and treated with up to 36 vaccinations over the course of 18 weeks. Primary endpoint was safety, secondary endpoints tumor response and overall survival. Measurement of tumor antigen specific CD8 CTL responses is precluded by the lack of known NSCLC associated antigens. Therefore, we measured patient CD8 T cell-IFN-γ responses to allo-antigens of the vaccine cells as surrogate for tumor antigen specific CD8 CTL. In 7 of 18 treated patients tumor growth was stabilized, however none of the 18 patients had an objective tumor response by RECIST criteria. Of 15 patients evaluable for immune response, 11 responded to vaccination with more than twofold increase in CD8-IFN-γ frequency above baseline. These patients had a median survival time of 16.5 months. Four patients who had no CD8 response above base line had survival times from 2.1 to 6.7 months. Our data are consistent with the concept that generation of CD8 CTL by therapeutic vaccination may delay tumor growth and progression and mediate prolonged survival even in the absence of objective tumor responses. Further studies will be required to test this concept and promising result.

肺癌多种基因同步检测及临床相关性(诊断及预后)的研究

目的 :为检测非小细胞肺癌中多种基因的改变 ,并探讨其临床相关性 (诊断及预后 )。方法 :本研究用LSAB(labelledstreptavidinbiotin)法同步检测 10 4例非小细胞肺癌 (NSCLC)组织中抗癌基因p16,pRb及癌基因cy clinD1,cdk4和转移相关基因nm 2 3 H1,CD4 4v6表达。结果 :3 2 8%的鳞癌和 5 3 7%的腺癌不表达p16蛋白 ,腺癌明显高于鳞癌 (P <0 0 5 ) ;腺癌只有 14 6%完全不表达pRb蛋白 ,鳞癌不表达率为 3 6 2 % (P <0 0 5 ) ;5 7 7%的肿瘤只表达p16或pRb中的一项 ;3 2 7%的肿瘤两者都表达 ,但两者表达强度差异明显 ,9 6%的肿瘤两者均表达且表达强度一致 ;88 6%的肿瘤表达cdk4,在高分化鳞癌中表达率为 66 7% ,中分化鳞癌 96 3 % ,低分化鳞癌达10 0 % ,大约 70 %的肺癌中有cyclinD1表达 ,而正常粘膜中只有 2 0 %有表达 (P <0 0 0 0 1) ,表明非小细胞肺癌中cy clinD1的表达明显增高。在无淋巴结转移组 ,其nm 2 3的表达率高达 78 8% ,与有淋巴结转移组的表达率 2 1 9%相比 ,有非常显著性差异 (P <0 0 0 0 1) ;有淋巴结转移组 ,CD4 4v6的表达率高达 96 9% ,与无淋巴结转移的表达率相比 ,差异具非常显著性 (P <0 0 0 0 1)。结论 :①p16及pRb基因的表达在肺癌中明显减弱 。

PD-L1 expression and its effect on clinical outcomes of EGFRmutant NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-TKIs

Objective:Epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)activation was reported to upregulate programmed death-ligand 1(PD-L1)expression in lung cancer cells and subsequently contribute to immune escape,indicating its critical role in EGFR-driven lung tumors.This study characterized PD-L1 expression in patients with surgically resected EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).The effect of PD-L1 expression on clinical outcomes was also investigated in advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC treated with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs).Methods:In total,73 patients with surgically resected NSCLC and EGFR mutations were identified.PD-L1 expression and CD8+tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte(TIL)density were assessed by immunohistochemistry.A literature review of publications that assessed the predictive and prognostic value of PD-L1 expression in advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-TKIs was performed.Results:Nineteen(26.0%)patients were positive for PD-L1 expression,which was significantly associated with concomitant KRAS mutation(P=0.020)and marginally associated with higher CD8+TILs density(P=0.056).Positive PD-L1 expression was associated with markedly inferior overall survival(OS)in multivariate analysis(P=0.032).The combination of PD-L1 and CD8+TILs expression could be used to stratify the population into three groups with distinct prognoses.A meta-analysis of six publications showed that positive PD-L1 expression was not associated with OS[hazard ratio(HR)=0.90;95%confidence interval(CI),0.42–1.38]or progression-free survival(HR=1.03;95 CI,0.73–1.33)in advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients receiving EGFR-TKIs.Conclusions:PD-L1 expression tended to correlate with CD8+TIL expression,concomitant KRAS mutation,and poor survival in surgically resected EGFR-mutant NSCLC.PD-L1 expression was neither the predictive nor the prognostic factor in advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-TKIs.