scholarly journals EGFR-Specific Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Modifies NK Cell-Mediated Antitumoral Activity against Ovarian Cancer Cells

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (19) ◽  
pp. 4693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Mallmann-Gottschalk ◽  
Yvonne Sax ◽  
Rainer Kimmig ◽  
Stephan Lang ◽  
Sven Brandau

The adverse prognosis of most patients with ovarian cancer is related to recurrent disease caused by resistance to chemotherapeutic and targeted therapeutics. Besides their direct activity against tumor cells, monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) also influence the antitumoral activity of immune cells, which has important implications for the design of immunotherapies. In this preclinical study, we treated different ovarian cancer cell lines with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) TKIs and co-incubated them with natural killer (NK) cells. We studied treatment-related structural and functional changes on tumor and immune cells in the presence of the anti-EGFR antibody cetuximab and investigated NK-mediated antitumoral activity. We show that long-term exposure of ovarian cancer cells to TKIs leads to reduced responsiveness of intrinsically sensitive cancer cells over time. Inversely, neither long-term treatment with TKIs nor cetuximab could overcome the intrinsic resistance of certain ovarian cancer cells to anti-EGFR agents. Remarkably, tumor cells pretreated with anti-EGFR TKIs showed increased sensitivity towards NK cell-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). In contrast, the cytokine secretion of NK cells was reduced by TKI sensitization. Our data suggest that sensitization of tumor cells by anti-EGFR TKIs differentially modulates interactions with NK cells. These data have important implications for the design of chemo-immuno combination therapies in this tumor entity.

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Baydoun ◽  
Olivier Moralès ◽  
Céline Frochot ◽  
Colombeau Ludovic ◽  
Bertrand Leroux ◽  
...  

Often discovered at an advanced stage, ovarian cancer progresses to peritoneal carcinoma, which corresponds to the invasion of the serosa by multiple tumor implants. The current treatment is based on the combination of chemotherapy and tumor cytoreduction surgery. Despite the progress and standardization of surgical techniques combined with effective chemotherapy, post-treatment recurrences affect more than 60% of women in remission. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been particularly indicated for the treatment of superficial lesions on large surfaces and appears to be a relevant candidate for the treatment of microscopic intraperitoneal lesions and non-visible lesions. However, the impact of this therapy on immune cells remains unclear. Hence, the objective of this study is to validate the efficacy of a new photosensitizer [pyropheophorbide a-polyethylene glycol-folic acid (PS)] on human ovarian cancer cells and to assess the impact of the secretome of PDT-treated cells on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). We show that PS, upon illumination, can induce cell death of different ovarian tumor cells. Furthermore, PDT using this new PS seems to favor activation of the immune response by inducing the secretion of effective cytokines and inhibiting the pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive ones, as well as releasing extracellular vesicles (EVs) prone to activating immune cells. Finally, we show that PDT can activate CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, resulting in a potential immunostimulating process. The results of this pilot study therefore indicate that PS-PDT treatment may not only be effective in rapidly and directly destroying target tumor cells but also promote the activation of an effective immune response; notably, by EVs. These data thus open up good prospects for the treatment of micrometastases of intraperitoneal ovarian carcinosis which are currently inoperable.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antons Martincuks ◽  
Jieun Song ◽  
Adrian Kohut ◽  
Chunyan Zhang ◽  
Yi-Jia Li ◽  
...  

Despite the promising activity of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPi) in many cancer types with defects in the DNA damage response the majority of the treated patients acquire PARPi resistance and succumb to their diseases. Consequently, there is an urgent need to identify the mechanisms of PARPi resistance. Here, we show that PARPi treatment promotes STAT3 activation in ovarian cancer cells, tumor-associated immune cells and fibroblasts, resulting in PARPi resistance and immunosuppression. Comparison of ovarian cancer patient-matched tumor biopsies before and after PARPi therapy revealed that STAT3 activity was significantly higher in tumor cells and tumor-associated immune cells and fibroblasts post PARPi treatment. Moreover, one-time PARPi treatment activated STAT3 both in tumor cells as well as diverse immune subsets and fibroblasts. PARPi-treated immune cells exhibited decreased expression of immunostimulatory interferon (IFN)-γ and Granzyme B while increasing immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10. Finally, we demonstrate that the acquisition of PARPi resistance in ovarian cancer cells was accompanied by increased STAT3 activity. Ablating STAT3 inhibited PARPi-resistant ovarian tumor cell growth and/or restored PARPi sensitivity. Therefore, our study has identified a critical mechanism intrinsic to PARPi that promotes resistance to PARPi and induces immunosuppression during PARPi treatment by activating STAT3 in tumor cells and tumor-associated immune cells/fibroblasts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 398-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaizhi Gu ◽  
Wanshan Qiu ◽  
Zhiqian Guo ◽  
Chenxu Yan ◽  
Shiqin Zhu ◽  
...  

We describe an enzyme-regulated liberation strategy to in situ generate AIEgen nanoaggregates for on-site sensing and long-term tracking of β-galactosidase in ovarian cancer cells.


2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 3028-3039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Kübler ◽  
Carola tho Pesch ◽  
Nadine Gehrke ◽  
Soheila Riemann ◽  
Juliane Daßler ◽  
...  

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Nowak ◽  
Magdalena Klink

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) constitute the main population of immune cells present in the ovarian tumor microenvironment. These cells are characterized by high plasticity and can be easily polarized by colony-stimulating factor-1, which is released by tumor cells, into an immunosuppressive M2-like phenotype. These cells are strongly implicated in both the progression and chemoresistance of ovarian cancer. The main pro-tumoral function of M2-like TAMs is the secretion of a variety of cytokines, chemokines, enzymes and exosomes that reach microRNAs, directly inducing the invasion potential and chemoresistance of ovarian cancer cells by triggering their pro-survival signaling pathways. The M2-like TAMs are also important players in the metastasis of ovarian cancer cells in the peritoneum through their assistance in spheroid formation and attachment of cancer cells to the metastatic area—the omentum. Moreover, TAMs interplay with other immune cells, such as lymphocytes, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells, to inhibit their responsiveness, resulting in the development of immunosuppression. The detrimental character of the M2-like type of TAMs in ovarian tumors has been confirmed by a number of studies, demonstrating the positive correlation between their high level in tumors and low overall survival of patients.


2012 ◽  
Vol 302 (1) ◽  
pp. E108-E116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane D. Wrann ◽  
Tobias Laue ◽  
Lena Hübner ◽  
Susanne Kuhlmann ◽  
Roland Jacobs ◽  
...  

Epidemiological studies have indicated that obesity is associated with a higher risk for certain cancers caused by elevated levels of adipocyte-derived hormones. Leptin, one such hormone produced by adipocytes, is a major regulator of metabolism and has also been shown to modulate immunity. However, its role in regulating human natural killer (NK) cell functions is largely unknown. Here, we show that the leptin receptor (Ob-R) is expressed on 5% of NK cells isolated from blood donors, as measured with flow cytometry, and expression of the signal-transducing long form of the leptin receptor Ob-Rb was confirmed with quantitative PCR. The Ob-R+ subpopulation displayed a lower expression of CD16, a cell surface receptor mediating antibody-dependent activation. Short-term stimulation with leptin increased IFNγ secretion, CD69 activation marker expression, and cytotoxic lysis of tumor cells; this was mediated by an improved conjugate forming between NK cells and tumor cells as well as higher expression of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand. On the contrary, long-term incubation with leptin significantly impaired these NK cell immune functions and decreased cell proliferation. In addition, phosphorylation of Jak-2 after leptin stimulation was reduced in peripheral mononuclear blood cells from obese humans compared with normal-weight controls. NK cells represent an immune cell population that is crucial for an effective antitumor response. Here, we show that long-term exposure to leptin, similarly to the situation in obese individuals with elevated serum leptin levels, significantly impairs integral parts of NK cell immune functions, possibly linking leptin to increased cancer susceptibility in obesity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Xi ◽  
Xin Nie ◽  
Jing Wang ◽  
Lingling Gao ◽  
Bei Lin

Background. BMPER has been reported to be associated with the biological behavior of a few malignant tumors, but the mechanism is still unclear. We aimed to detect BMPER expression in ovarian epithelial tumor tissues and its effects on their biological behaviors, as well as to elucidate the possible mechanism. Methods. BMPER expression in ovarian epithelial tumor tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. BMPER expression in ovarian cancer cell lines was inhibited via RNA interference. Changes in the malignant behaviors of ovarian cancer cells were detected by MTT, wound healing, Transwell, and flow cytometry assays. Changes in proteins in the MAPK and autophagy-related signaling pathways were detected by Western blot analysis. Results. The expression of BMPER was significantly upregulated in ovarian epithelial malignant tumors and was related to increased lymph node metastasis and lower survival rate. High BMPER expression is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in patients. Inhibition of BMPER inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of ovarian cancer cells and promoted apoptosis. In addition, BMPER downregulation decreased the expression of PCNA, Bcl-2, MMP2, and MMP9 and increased the expression of Bax. Moreover, the levels of p-ERK, p-MEK, and the autophagy-related protein p-mTOR were decreased, and Beclin 1 levels and the LC3II/I ratio were increased. Conclusions. Our findings indicated that BMPER is closely related to poor prognosis in ovarian cancer. BMPER plays a role in promoting the malignant biological behavior of tumor cells through the MAPK and autophagy-related signaling pathways.


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