Proinflammatory chemokine gene expression influences survival of patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) treated with conventional chemotherapy have an averagesurvival of approximately three years. High dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation(ASCT), first introduced in the mid-1980s, is now considered the standard therapy for almost all patientswith multiple myeloma, because it prolongs overall survival and disease free survival. Between November 1997and October 2006, 122 patients with MM (58 females, 64 males, median age 51.0 years [± 7.98] range: 30–66years) were transplanted in the Department of Hematooncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at the MedicalUniversity of Lublin: 47 patients were in complete remission or in unconfirmed complete remission,66 patients were in partial remission, and nine had stable disease. Of these, there were 95 patients with IgG myeloma,16 with IgA myeloma, one with IgG/IgA, one with IgM myeloma, five with non secretory type, two withsolitary tumor and two with LCD myeloma. According to Durie-Salmon, 62 patients had stage III of the disease,46 had stage II and four had stage I. Most patients (69/122) were transplanted after two or more cycles ofchemotherapy, 48 patients were transplanted after one cycle of chemotherapy, one patient after surgery and rtg--therapy and four patients had not been treated. In mobilisation procedure, the patients received a single infusionof cyclophosphamide (4–6 g/m2) or etoposide 1.6 g/m2 followed by daily administration of G-CSF until theperipheral stem cells harvest. The number of median harvest sessions was 2.0 (± 0.89) (range: 1–5). An averageof 7.09 (± 33.28) × 106 CD34+ cells/kg were collected from each patient (range: 1.8–111.0 × 106/kg). Conditioningregimen consisted of high dose melphalan 60–210 mg/m2 without TBI. An average of 3.04 (± 11.59) × 106CD34+ cells/kg were transplanted to each patient. Fatal complications occured in four patients (treatment--related mortality = 3.2%). In all patients there was regeneration of hematopoiesis. The median number of daysfor recovery to ANC > 0.5 × 109/l was 13 (± 4.69) (range: 10–38) and platelets recovery to > 50 × 109/l was 25days (± 11.65) (range: 12–45). Median time of hospitalization was 22 days (± 7.14) (range: 14–50). Patientswere evaluated on day 100 after transplantation: 74.9% achieved CR and nCR, 14.3% were in PR, 5.4% had SDand 5.4% had progressed. Median of OS was 45 months (± 30.67). OS at 3-years was 84% and at 7-years 59%.Median PFS was 25 months (± 26.13). PFS at 3-years was 68%, and at 7-years was 43%. At present (November2009) 52 patients (42%) are still alive. High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantationis a valuable, well tolerated method of treatment for patients with MM that allows the achievement of long--lasting survival

Proinflammatory chemokine gene expression influences survival of patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

The migration, survival and proliferation of cells is the basis for all physiologic and pathologic processes in the human body. All these reactions are regulated by a complex chemokine network that guides lymphocytes homing, chemotaxis, adhesion and interplay between immunologic system response cells. Chemokines are also responsible for metastatic dissemination of cancers, including Hodgkin&#8217;s and non-Hodgkin&#8217;s lymphomas. The purpose of this study was to determine chemokine gene expression (CXCL8, CXCL10, CCL2, CCL3, CCL4 and CCL5) in lymphoma lymph nodes compared to their expression in reactive lymph nodes. We also analyzed the influence of chemokine gene expression on the survival of lymphoma patients. Chemokine gene expression was evaluated in 37 lymphoma lymph nodes and in 25 samples of reactive lymph nodes. Gene expression of chemokines CXCL8, CXCL10, CCL2, CCL3, CCL4 and CCL5 was measured using the PCR method. Statistical analysis was performed using CSS Statistica for Windows (version 7.0) software. Probability values < < 0.05 were considered statistically significant and those between 0.05 and 0.1 as indicative of a trend. We found lower CXCL8 and CXCL10 gene expression in lymphoma lymph nodes compared to reactive lymph nodes. In the cases of CCL2 and CCL3, expression in lymphomas was higher than in reactive lymph nodes. Patients with high expression of CCL2 and CXCL10 had shorter survival. (Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica 2011; Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 240&#8211;247

Regulatory T cells in the bone marrow microenvironment in patients with prostate cancer

Human prostate cancer frequently metastasizes to bone marrow. What defines the cellular and molecular predilection for prostate cancer to metastasize to bone marrow is not well understood. CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (Treg) cells contribute to self-tolerance and tumor immune pathology. We now show that functional Treg cells are increased in the bone marrow microenvironment in prostate cancer patients with bone metastasis, and that CXCR4/CXCL12 signaling pathway contributes to Treg cell bone marrow trafficking. Treg cells exhibit active cell cycling in the bone marrow, and bone marrow dendritic cells express high levels of receptor activator of NFκB (RANK), and promote Treg cell expansion through RANK and its ligand (RANKL) signals. Furthermore, Treg cells suppress osteoclast differentiation induced by activated T cells and M-CSF, adoptive transferred Treg cells migrate to bone marrow, and increase bone mineral intensity in the xenograft mouse models with human prostate cancer bone marrow inoculation. In vivo Treg cell depletion results in reduced bone density in tumor bearing mice. The data indicates that bone marrow Treg cells may form an immunosuppressive niche to facilitate cancer bone metastasis and contribute to bone deposition, the major bone pathology in prostate cancer patients with bone metastasis. These findings mechanistically explain why Treg cells accumulate in the bone marrow, and demonstrate a previously unappreciated role for Treg cells in patients with prostate cancer. Thus, targeting Treg cells may not only improve anti-tumor immunity, but also ameliorate bone pathology in prostate cancer patients with bone metastasis

B7-H4 expression identifies a novel suppressive macrophage population in human ovarian carcinoma

Tumor-associated macrophages are a prominent component of ovarian cancer stroma and contribute to tumor progression. B7-H4 is a recently identified B7 family molecule. We show that primary ovarian tumor cells express intracellular B7-H4, whereas a fraction of tumor macrophages expresses surface B7-H4. B7-H4+ tumor macrophages, but not primary ovarian tumor cells, suppress tumor-associated antigen-specific T cell immunity. Blocking B7-H4-, but not arginase-, inducible nitric oxide synthase or B7-H1 restored the T cell stimulating capacity of the macrophages and contributes to tumor regression in vivo. Interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 are found in high concentrations in the tumor microenvironment. These cytokines stimulate macrophage B7-H4 expression. In contrast, granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor and IL-4, which are limited in the tumor microenvironment, inhibit B7-H4 expression. Ectopic expression of B7-H4 makes normal macrophages suppressive. Thus, B7-H4+ tumor macrophages constitute a novel suppressor cell population in ovarian cancer. B7-H4 expression represents a critical checkpoint in determining host responses to dysfunctional cytokines in ovarian cancer. Blocking B7-H4 or depleting B7-H4+ tumor macrophages may represent novel strategies to enhance T cell tumor immunity in cancer

IL-22+CD4+ T Cells Promote Colorectal Cancer Stemness via STAT3 Transcription Factor Activation and Induction of the Methyltransferase DOT1L

SummaryLittle is known about how the immune system impacts human colorectal cancer invasiveness and stemness. Here we detected interleukin-22 (IL-22) in patient colorectal cancer tissues that was produced predominantly by CD4+ T cells. In a mouse model, migration of these cells into the colon cancer microenvironment required the chemokine receptor CCR6 and its ligand CCL20. IL-22 acted on cancer cells to promote activation of the transcription factor STAT3 and expression of the histone 3 lysine 79 (H3K79) methytransferase DOT1L. The DOT1L complex induced the core stem cell genes NANOG, SOX2, and Pou5F1, resulting in increased cancer stemness and tumorigenic potential. Furthermore, high DOT1L expression and H3K79me2 in colorectal cancer tissues was a predictor of poor patient survival. Thus, IL-22+ cells promote colon cancer stemness via regulation of stemness genes that negatively affects patient outcome. Efforts to target this network might be a strategy in treating colorectal cancer patients

Oxphos Promotes Apoptotic Resistance and Cellular Persistence in TH17 Cells in the Periphery and Tumor Microenvironment

T cell proliferation and cytokine production are bioenergetically and biosynthetically costly. The inability to meet these metabolic demands results in altered differentiation, accompanied by impaired effector function, and attrition of the immune response. Interleukin-17-producing CD4 T cells (TH17s) are mediators of host defense, autoimmunity, and antitumor immunity in the setting of adoptive T cell therapy. TH17s are long-lived cells that require mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) for effector function in vivo. Considering that TH17s polarized under standardized culture conditions are predominately glycolytic, little is known about how OXPHOS regulates TH17 processes, such as their ability to persist and thus contribute to protracted immune responses. Here, we modified standardized culture medium and identified a culture system that reliably induces OXPHOS dependence in TH17s. We found that TH17s cultured under OXPHOS conditions metabolically resembled their in vivo counterparts, whereas glycolytic cultures were dissimilar. OXPHOS TH17s exhibited increased mitochondrial fitness, glutamine anaplerosis, and an antiapoptotic phenotype marked by high BCL-XL and low BIM. Limited mitophagy, mediated by mitochondrial fusion regulator OPA-1, was critical to apoptotic resistance in OXPHOS TH17s. By contrast, glycolytic TH17s exhibited more mitophagy and an imbalance in BCL-XL to BIM, thereby priming them for apoptosis. In addition, through adoptive transfer experiments, we demonstrated that OXPHOS protected TH17s from apoptosis while enhancing their persistence in the periphery and tumor microenvironment in a murine model of melanoma. Together, our work demonstrates how metabolism regulates TH17 cell fate and highlights the potential for therapies that target OXPHOS in TH17-driven diseases

Intersection of Immune and Oncometabolic Pathways Drives Cancer Hyperprogression During Immunotherapy

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) can produce durable responses against cancer. We and others have found that a subset of patients experiences paradoxical rapid cancer progression during immunotherapy. It is poorly understood how tumors can accelerate their progression during ICB. In some preclinical models, ICB causes hyperprogressive disease (HPD). While immune exclusion drives resistance to ICB, counterintuitively, patients with HPD and complete response (CR) following ICB manifest comparable levels of tumor-infiltrating CD