Obesity promotes triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and effective interventions are urgently needed to break the obesity-TNBC link. Epidemiologic studies indicate that bariatric surgery reduces TNBC risk, while evidence is limited or conflicted for weight loss via low-fat diet (LFD) or calorie restriction (CR). Using a murine model of obesity-driven TNBC, we compared the antitumor effects of vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) with LFD, chronic CR, and intermittent CR. Each intervention generated weight and fat loss and suppressed tumor growth relative to obese mice (greatest suppression with CR). VSG and CR regimens exerted both similar and unique effects, as assessed using multi-omic approaches, in reversing obesity-associated transcriptional, epigenetic, secretome, and microbiota changes and restoring antitumor immunity. Thus, in a murine model of TNBC, bariatric surgery and CR each reverse obesity-driven tumor growth via shared and distinct antitumor mechanisms, and CR is superior to VSG in reversing obesity’s procancer effects.
Kristina Camp, Michael F. Coleman, Tori McFarlane, Steven S. Doerstling, Subreen A. Khatib, Erika T. Rezeli, Alfor G. Lewis, Alexander J. Pfeil, Laura A. Smith, Laura W. Bowers, Farnaz Fouladi, Weida Gong, Elaine M. Glenny, Joel S. Parker, Ginger L. Milne, Ian M. Carroll, Anthony A. Fodor, Randy J. Seeley, Stephen D. Hursting
A hallmark of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other interstitial lung diseases is dysregulated repair of the alveolar epithelium. The Hippo pathway effector transcription factors YAP and TAZ are implicated as essential for type 1 and type 2 alveolar epithelial cell (AT1 and AT2) differentiation in the developing lung, yet aberrant activation of YAP/TAZ is a prominent feature of the dysregulated alveolar epithelium in IPF. In these studies, we sought to define the functional role of YAP/TAZ activity during alveolar regeneration. We demonstrated that Yap and Taz are normally activated in AT2 cells shortly after injury, and deletion of Yap/Taz in AT2 cells led to pathologic alveolar remodeling, failure of AT2 to AT1 cell differentiation, increased collagen deposition, exaggerated neutrophilic inflammation, and increased mortality following injury induced by a single dose of bleomycin. Loss of Yap/Taz activity prior to a LPS injury prevented AT1 cell regeneration, led to intra-alveolar collagen deposition, and resulted in persistent innate inflammation. Together these findings established that AT2 cell Yap/Taz activity is essential for functional alveolar epithelial repair and prevention of fibrotic remodeling.
Gianluca T. DiGiovanni, Wei Han, Taylor P. Sherrill, Chase J. Taylor, David S. Nichols, Natalie M. Geis, Ujjal K. Singha, Carla L. Calvi, A. Scott McCall, Molly M. Dixon, Yang Liu, Ji-Hoon Jang, Sergey S. Gutor, Vasiliy V. Polosukhin, Timothy S. Blackwell, Jonathan A. Kropski, Jason J. Gokey
Pyrin, a protein encoded by the MEFV gene, plays a vital role in innate immunity by sensing modifications in Rho GTPase and assembling the pyrin inflammasome, which in turn activates downstream immune responses. We identified a novel and de novo MEFV p.E583A dominant variant in three patients from a family, distinct from the previously reported S242 and E244 sites. These patients exhibited a phenotype that diverged from those resulting from classical MEFV gene mutations, characterized by the absence of recurrent fever but the presence of recurrent chest and abdominal pain. Colchicine effectively controlled the phenotype, and the mutation was found to induce pyrin inflammasome assembly and activation in patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and cell lines. Mechanistically, truncation experiments revealed that the E583A variant impacted the autoinhibitory structure of pyrin. Our study offers new insights into the mechanisms underlying pyrin inflammasome activation.
Qintao Wang, Taijie Jin, Shan Jian, Xu Han, Hongmei Song, Qing Zhou, Xiaomin Yu
OBJECTIVES. Sjögren's Disease (SjD) is a chronic and systemic autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocytic infiltration and the development of dry eyes and dry mouth resulting from the secretory dysfunction of the exocrine glands. SARS-CoV-2 may trigger the development or progression of autoimmune diseases, as evidenced by increased autoantibodies in patients and the presentation of cardinal symptoms of SjD. The objective of the study was to determine whether SARS-CoV-2 induces the signature clinical symptoms of SjD. METHODS. The ACE2-transgenic mice were infected with SARS-CoV-2; SjD profiling was conducted. COVID-19 patients' sera were examined to detect the presence of autoantibodies. Clinical evaluations of convalescent COVID-19 subjects, including minor salivary gland (MSG) biopsies, were collected. Lastly, monoclonal antibodies generated from single B cells of patients were interrogated for ACE2/spike inhibition and nuclear antigens. RESULTS. Mice infected with the virus showed a decreased saliva flow rate, elevated antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) with anti-SSB/La, and lymphocyte infiltration in the lacrimal and salivary glands. Sera of COVID-19 patients showed an increase in ANA, anti-SSA/Ro52, and anti-SSB/La. The male patients showed elevated levels of anti-SSA/Ro52 compared to female patients, and female patients had more diverse ANA patterns. Minor salivary gland biopsies of convalescent COVID-19 subjects showed focal lymphocytic infiltrates in four of six subjects, and 2 of 6 subjects had focus scores >2. Lastly, we found that monoclonal antibodies produced in recovered patients can block ACE2/spike interaction and recognize nuclear antigens. CONCLUSION. Overall, our study shows a direct association between SARS-CoV-2 and SjD. Hallmark features of SjD salivary glands were histologically indistinguishable from convalescent COVID-19 subjects.The results potentially implicate that SARS-CoV-2 could be an environmental trigger for SjD.
Yiran Shen, Alexandria Voigt, Laura Goranova, Mehdi A. Abed, David E. Kleiner, Jose O. Maldonado, Margaret Beach, Eileen Pelayo, John A. Chiorini, William F. Craft, David A. Ostrov, Vijay Ramiya, Sukesh Sukumaran, Ashley N. Brown, Kaley C. Hanrahan, Apichai Tuanyok, Blake M. Warner, Cuong Q. Nguyen
Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is the most common non-immune hereditary chronic hemolytic anemia after hemoglobinopathies. The genetic defects in membrane function causing HS leads to perturbation of red cell metabolome, with altered glycolysis. In mice genetically lacking protein 4.2 (4.2-/-, Epb42), a murine model of HS, we show increased expression of pyruvate kinase (Pk) isoforms in whole and fractioned red cells in conjunction with abnormalities in the glycolytic pathway and in GSH system. Mitapivat, a PKs activator, metabolically re-programs 4.2-/- mouse red cells with amelioration of glycolysis and GSH cycle. This results in improved osmotic fragility, reduced phosphatidyl-serine (PS) positivity and decrease in erythroid vesicles release in vitro. Mitapivat treatment significantly decreases erythrophagocytosis and beneficially impacts iron homeostasis. In mild/moderate HS, the beneficial effect of splenectomy is still controversial. Here, we show that splenectomy improves anemia in 4.2-/- mice and that mitapivat is non-inferior to splenectomy. An additional benefit of mitapivat treatment is lower expression of markers of inflammatory vasculopathy in 4.2-/- mice with or without splenectomy, indicating a multi-systemic action of mitapivat. These findings support the notion that mitapivat treatment should be considered for symptomatic HS.
Alessandro Matte, Anand Babu Wilson, Federica Gevi, Enrica Federti, Antonio Recchiuti, Giulia Ferri, Anna Maria Brunati, Mario Angelo Pagano, Roberta Russo, Christophe Leboeuf, Anne Janin, Anna Maria Timperio, Achille Iolascon, Elisa Gremese, Lenny Dang, Narla Mohandas, Carlo Brugnara, Lucia De Franceschi
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an esophageal immune-mediated disease characterized by eosinophilic inflammation and epithelial remodeling, including basal cell hyperplasia (BCH). Although BCH is known to correlate with disease severity and with persistent symptoms in patients in histological remission, the molecular processes driving BCH remain poorly defined. Here, we demonstrated that BCH is predominantly characterized by an expansion of non-proliferative suprabasal cells that are still committed to early differentiation. Furthermore, we discovered that suprabasal and superficial esophageal epithelial cells retain progenitor identity programs in EoE, which was evidenced by increased quiescent cell identity scoring and the enrichment of signaling pathways regulating stem cell pluripotency. Enrichment and trajectory analyses identified SOX2 and KLF5 as potential drivers of the increased quiescent identity and epithelial remodeling observed in EoE. Notably, these alterations were not observed in GERD. These findings provide additional insights into the differentiation process in EoE and highlight the distinct characteristics of suprabasal and superficial esophageal epithelial cells in the disease.
Margarette H. Clevenger, Adam L. Karami, Dustin A. Carlson, Peter J. Kahrilas, Nirmala Gonsalves, John E. Pandolfino, Deborah R. Winter, Kelly A. Whelan, Marie-Pier Tétreault
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) expressing Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) are a promising tool to promote transplant tolerance. The relationship between CAR structure and Treg function was studied in xenogeneic, immunodeficient mice, revealing advantages of CD28-encoding CARs. However, these models could underrepresent interactions between CAR-Tregs, antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and donor-specific antibodies. We generated Tregs expressing HLA-A2-specific CARs with different costimulatory domains and compared their function in vitro and in vivo using an immunocompetent model of transplantation. In vitro, the CD28-encoding CAR had superior antigen-specific suppression, proliferation and cytokine production. In contrast, in vivo, Tregs expressing CARs encoding CD28, ICOS, PD1 and GITR, but not 41BB or OX40, all extended skin allograft survival. To reconcile in vitro and in vivo data, we analyzed effects of a CAR encoding CD3ζ but no co-stimulatory domain. These data revealed that exogenous co-stimulation from APCs can compensate for the lack of a CAR-encoded CD28 domain. Thus, Tregs expressing a CAR with or without CD28 are functionally equivalent in vivo, mediating similar extension of skin allograft survival and controlling the generation of anti-HLA-A2 alloantibodies. This study reveals a new dimension of CAR-Treg biology and has important implications for the design of CARs for clinical use in Tregs.
Isaac Rosado-Sánchez, Manjurul Haque, Kevin Salim, Madeleine Speck, Vivian C.W. Fung, Dominic A. Boardman, Majid Mojibian, Giorgio Raimondi, Megan K. Levings
Engineered cytokine-based approaches for immunotherapy of cancer are poised to enter the clinic, with IL-12 being at the forefront. However, little is known about potential mechanisms of resistance to cytokine therapies. We found that orthotopic murine lung tumors were resistant to systemically delivered IL-12 fused to murine serum albumin (MSA, IL12-MSA) due to low IL-12R expression on tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells. IL2-MSA increased binding of IL12-MSA by tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells, and combined administration of IL12-MSA and IL2-MSA led to enhanced tumor-reactive CD8+ T cell effector differentiation, decreased numbers of tumor-infiltrating CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells, and increased survival of lung tumor-bearing mice. Predictably, the combination of IL-2 and IL-12 at therapeutic doses led to significant dose-limiting toxicity. Administering IL-12 and IL-2 analogs with preferential binding to cells expressing IL12rb1 and CD25, respectively, led to a significant extension of survival in mice with lung tumors while abrogating dose-limiting toxicity. These findings suggest that IL-12 and IL-2 represent a rational approach to combination cytokine therapy whose dose-limiting toxicity can be overcome with engineered cytokine variants.
Brendan L. Horton, Alicia D. D'Souza, Maria Zagorulya, Chloe V. McCreery, Gita C. Abhiraman, Lora K. Picton, Allison Sheen, Yash Agarwal, Noor Momin, Karl Dane Wittrup, Forest M. White, K. Christopher Garcia, Stefani Spranger
Malignant T lymphocyte proliferation in mycosis fungoides (MF) is largely restricted to the skin, implying that malignant cells are dependent on their specific cutaneous tumor microenvironment (TME), including interactions with non-malignant immune and stromal cells, cytokines, and other immunomodulatory factors. To explore these interactions, we performed a comprehensive transcriptome analysis of the TME in advanced-stage MF skin tumors by single-cell RNA sequencing. Our analysis identified cell-type compositions, cellular functions, and cell-cell interactions in the MF TME that were distinct from those from healthy skin and benign dermatoses. While patterns of gene expression were common amongst patient samples, high transcriptional diversity was also observed in immune and stromal cells, with dynamic interactions and crosstalk between these cells and malignant T lymphocytes. This heterogeneity mapped to processes such as cell trafficking, matrix interactions, angiogenesis, immune functions, and metabolism that affect cancer cell growth, migration and invasion, as well as anti-tumor immunity. By comprehensively characterizing the transcriptomes of immune and stromal cell within the cutaneous microenvironment of individual MF tumors, we have identified patterns of dysfunction common to all tumors that represents a resource for identifying candidates with therapeutic potential as well as patient-specific heterogeneity that has important implications for personalized disease management.
Alyxzandria M. Gaydosik, Connor J. Stonesifer, Tracy Tabib, Robert Lafyatis, Larisa J. Geskin, Patrizia Fuschiotti
Overexpression of Phosphatases of Regenerating Liver 2 (PRL2), detected in numerous diverse cancers, is often associated with increased severity and poor patient prognosis. PRL2-catalyzed tyrosine dephosphorylation of the tumor suppressor PTEN results in increased PTEN degradation, and has been identified as a mechanism underlying PRL2 oncogenic activity. Overexpression of PRL2, coincident with reduced PTEN protein, is frequently observed in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) patients. In the current study, a PTEN-knockdown AML animal model was generated to assess the impact of conditional PRL2 inhibition on the level of PTEN protein and the development and progression of AML. Inhibition of PRL2 resulted in a significant increase in median animal survival, from 40 weeks to greater than 60 weeks. The prolonged survival reflected delayed expansion of aberrantly differentiated hematopoietic stem cells into leukemia blasts, resulting in extended time required for clinically relevant leukemia blast accumulation in the bone marrow niche. Leukemia blast suppression following PRL2 inhibition was correlated with an increase in PTEN, and downregulation of AKT/mTOR regulated pathways. These observations directly established, in a disease model, the viability of PRL2 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for improving clinical outcomes in AML and potentially other PTEN-deficient cancers by slowing cancer progression.
Colin Carlock, Yunpeng Bai, Allison Paige-Hood, Qinglin Li, Frederick Nguele Meke, Zhong-Yin Zhang
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