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Photon and particle radiotherapy induce redundant modular chemotaxis of human lymphocytes
Joscha A. Kraske, Michael M. Allers, Aleksei Smirnov, Bénédicte Lenoir, Azaz Ahmed, Meggy Suarez-Carmona, Mareike Hampel, Damir Krunic, Alexandra Tietz-Dalfuß, Tizian Beikert, Jonathan M. Schneeweiss, Stephan Brons, Dorothee Albrecht, Thuy Trinh, Muzi Liu, Nathalia A. Giese, Christin Glowa, Jakob Liermann, Ramon Lopez Perez, Dirk Jäger, Jürgen Debus, Niels Halama, Peter E. Huber, Thomas Walle
Joscha A. Kraske, Michael M. Allers, Aleksei Smirnov, Bénédicte Lenoir, Azaz Ahmed, Meggy Suarez-Carmona, Mareike Hampel, Damir Krunic, Alexandra Tietz-Dalfuß, Tizian Beikert, Jonathan M. Schneeweiss, Stephan Brons, Dorothee Albrecht, Thuy Trinh, Muzi Liu, Nathalia A. Giese, Christin Glowa, Jakob Liermann, Ramon Lopez Perez, Dirk Jäger, Jürgen Debus, Niels Halama, Peter E. Huber, Thomas Walle
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Research Article Immunology Oncology

Photon and particle radiotherapy induce redundant modular chemotaxis of human lymphocytes

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Abstract

Radiotherapy triggers chemokine release and leukocyte infiltration in preclinical models through activation of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). However, effects of irradiation on senescence and SASP in human tissue and in the context of particle radiotherapy remain unclear. Here, we analyzed chemokine patterns after radiotherapy of human pancreatic tumors and cancer cell lines. We show that irradiated tumor cells coexpressed SASP chemokines in defined modules. These chemokine modules correlated with infiltration of distinct leukocyte subtypes expressing cognate receptors. We developed a patient-derived pancreatic tumor explant system, which verified our identified radiation-induced chemokine modules. Chemokine modules were partially conserved in cancer cells in response to photon and particle irradiation, showing a dose-dependent plateau effect, and induced subsequent migration of NK and T cell populations. Hence, our work reveals redundant interactions of cancer cells and immune cells in human tissue, suggesting that targeting multiple chemokines is required to efficiently perturb leukocyte infiltration after photon or particle radiotherapy.

Authors

Joscha A. Kraske, Michael M. Allers, Aleksei Smirnov, Bénédicte Lenoir, Azaz Ahmed, Meggy Suarez-Carmona, Mareike Hampel, Damir Krunic, Alexandra Tietz-Dalfuß, Tizian Beikert, Jonathan M. Schneeweiss, Stephan Brons, Dorothee Albrecht, Thuy Trinh, Muzi Liu, Nathalia A. Giese, Christin Glowa, Jakob Liermann, Ramon Lopez Perez, Dirk Jäger, Jürgen Debus, Niels Halama, Peter E. Huber, Thomas Walle

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Figure 3

Photon irradiation induces dose-dependent senescence and chemokine release in vitro.

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Photon irradiation induces dose-dependent senescence and chemokine relea...
(A) Photon irradiation induces the senescence marker β-galactosidase in human pancreatic cancer (PANC-1), melanoma (SK-MEL-28), and osteosarcoma (SJSA-1) cells as quantified by semiautomated microscopy (Methods). Shown is the percentage of SA-β-Gal–positive cells in 3 independent experiments (mean ± SD) 4 days after irradiation. P values were calculated using 1-way ANOVA, and significance was determined using the Holm-Šídák method. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ****P < 0.0001. (B) Cellular senescence in PANC-1 cells is time dependent. Shown is the percentage of SA-β-Gal–positive cells in 3 independent experiments (mean ± SD). P values were calculated using paired t tests. (C and D) Induction of module 1 and 4 chemokines in PANC-1 cancer cells by photon irradiation is dose dependent. Chemokine concentrations in conditioned media after application of indicated radiation doses were determined in n = 3 independent experiments by flow cytometric bead-based immunoassays. (C) Shown are mean z-scored concentrations of indicated chemokines. (D) Shown are concentrations (mean ± SD) of indicated chemokines. (E) Fractioned radiotherapy induces cellular senescence. PANC-1 cancer cells were irradiated with indicated doses. For fractionation, cells were irradiated for 5 consecutive days. Shown is the percentage of SA-β-Gal–positive cells in 3 independent experiments (mean ± SD) on day 7 after start of radiotherapy. (D and E) P values were calculated with 1-way ANOVA and significance testing using the Holm-Šídák method for multiple comparisons. (F) Fractionated radiotherapy induces chemokine secretion. Indicated are relative chemokine concentrations in conditioned media of PANC-1 cancer cells irradiated with 0 Gy or 5 × 2 Gy normalized to control (mean ± SD). P values were calculated using unpaired t tests.

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