搜索结果: 'gmp t cell activator'

Inflammatory cytokines,particularly interferon-γ (IFN-γ),are markedly elevated in the peripheral blood of patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced myocarditis (ICI-M). Endomyocardial biopsies from these patients also show GBP-associated inflammasome overexpression. While both factors are implicated in ICI-M pathophysiology,their interplay and cellular targets remain poorly characterized. Our aim was to elucidate how ICI-M-associated cytokines affect the viability and inflammatory responses of endothelial cells (ECs) and cardiomyocytes (CMs) using human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived models. ECs and CMs were differentiated from the same hiPSC line derived from a healthy donor. Cells were exposed either to IFN-γ alone or to an inflammatory cytokine cocktail (CCL5,GZMB,IL-1β,IL-2,IL-6,IFN-γ,TNF-α). We assessed large-scale transcriptomic changes via microarray and evaluated inflammatory,apoptotic,and cell death pathways at cellular and molecular levels. hiPSC-ECs were highly sensitive to cytokine exposure,displaying significant mortality and marked transcriptomic changes in immunity- and inflammation-related pathways. In contrast,hiPSC-CM showed limited transcriptional changes and reduced susceptibility to cytokine-induced death. In both cell types,cytokine treatment upregulated key components of the inflammasome pathway,including regulators (GBP5,GBP6,P2X7,NLRC5),a core component (AIM2),and the effector GSDMD. Increased GBP5 expression and CASP-1 cleavage mirrored the findings found elsewhere in endomyocardial biopsies from ICI-M patients. This hiPSC-based model reveals a distinct cellular sensitivity to ICI-M-related inflammation,with endothelial cells showing heightened vulnerability. These results reposition endothelial dysfunction,rather than cardiomyocyte injury alone,as a central mechanism in ICI-induced myocarditis. Modulating endothelial inflammasome activation,particularly via AIM2 inhibition,could offer a novel strategy to mitigate cardiac toxicity while preserving antitumor efficacy. View Publication

Metastatic breast cancer remains largely incurable,and the mechanisms driving the transition from primary to metastatic breast cancer remain elusive. We analyzed the complex landscape of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer primary and metastatic tumors using scRNA-seq data from twenty-three female patients with either primary or metastatic disease. By employing single-cell transcriptional profiling of unpaired patient samples,we sought to elucidate the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying changes in the metastatic tumor ecosystem. We identified specific subtypes of stromal and immune cells critical to forming a pro-tumor microenvironment in metastatic lesions,including CCL2+ macrophages,exhausted cytotoxic T cells,and FOXP3+ regulatory T cells. Analysis of cell-cell communication highlights a marked decrease in tumor-immune cell interactions in metastatic tissues,likely contributing to an immunosuppressive microenvironment. In contrast,primary breast cancer samples displayed increased activation of the TNF-α signaling pathway via NF-kB,indicating a potential therapeutic target. Our study comprehensively characterizes the transcriptional landscape encompassing primary and metastatic breast cancer. View Publication

Accumulating evidence indicates that various oncogenic mutations interfere with normal myeloid differentiation of leukemogenic cells during the early process of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) development. Differentiation therapy is a therapeutic strategy capable of terminating leukemic expansion by reactivating the differentiation potential; however,the plasticity and instability of leukemia cells counteract the establishment of treatments aimed at irreversibly inducing and maintaining their differentiation states. On the basis of our previous observation that autophagy inhibitor treatment induces the accumulation of cytosolic DNA and activation of cytosolic DNA-sensor signaling selectively in leukemia cells,we herein examined the synergistic effect of cytosolic DNA-sensor signaling activation with conventional differentiation therapy on AML. The combined treatment succeeded in inducing irreversible differentiation in AML cell lines. Mechanistically,cytosolic DNA was sensed by absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2),a cytosolic DNA sensor. Activation of the AIM2 inflammasome resulted in the accumulation of p21 through the inhibition of its proteasomal degradation,thereby facilitating the myeloid differentiation. Importantly,the combined therapy dramatically reduced the total leukemia cell counts and proportion of blast cells in the spleens of AML mice. Collectively,these findings indicate that the autophagy inhibition-cytosolic DNA-sensor signaling axis can potentiate AML differentiation therapy. Clinical effects on AML therapy are closely associated with reactivating the normal myeloid differentiation potential in leukemia cells. This study shows that autophagosome formation inhibitors activate the cytosolic DNA-sensor signaling,thereby augmenting conventional differentiation therapy to induce irreversible differentiation and cell growth arrest in several types of AML cell lines. View Publication

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is widely recognized as a globally prevalent malignancy. Immunotherapy is a promising therapy for HCC patients. Increasing evidence suggests that lncRNAs are involved in HCC progression and immunotherapy. The study reveals the mechanistic role of long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) FOXD1‐AS1 in regulating migration,invasion,circulating tumor cells (CTCs),epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT),and immune escape in HCC in vitro. This study employed real‐time PCR (RT‐qPCR) to measure FOXD1‐AS1,miR‐615‐3p,and programmed death‐ligand 1 ( PD‐L1 ). The interactions of FOXD1‐AS1,miR‐615‐3p,and PD‐L1 were validated via dual‐luciferase reporter gene and ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. In vivo experimentation involves BALB/c mice and BALB/c nude mice to investigate the impact of HCC metastasis. The upregulation of lncRNA FOXD1‐AS1 in malignant tissues significantly correlates with poor prognosis. The investigation was implemented on the impact of lncRNA FOXD1‐AS1 on the migratory,invasive,and EMT of HCC cells. It has been observed that the lncRNA FOXD1‐AS1 significantly influences the generation and metastasis of M CTC in vivo analysis. In mechanistic analysis,lncRNA FOXD1‐AS1 enhanced immune escape in HCC via upregulation of PD‐L1,which acted as a ceRNA by sequestering miR‐615‐3p. Additionally,lncRNA FOXD1‐AS1 was found to modulate the EMT of CTCs through the activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. This study presents compelling evidence supporting the role of lncRNA FOXD1‐AS1 as a miRNA sponge that sequesters miR‐655‐3p and protects PD‐L1 from suppression. View Publication

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is found almost exclusively in granulocytes and immature myeloid cells. It plays a key role in the innate immune system,catalysing the formation of reactive oxygen species that are important in anti‐microbial action,but MPO also oxidatively transforms the topoisomerase II (TOP2) poison etoposide to chemical forms that have elevated DNA damaging properties. TOP2 poisons such as etoposide are widely used anti‐cancer drugs,but they are linked to cases of secondary acute myeloid leukaemias through a mechanism that involves DNA damage and presumably erroneous repair leading to leukaemogenic chromosome translocations. This leads to the possibility that myeloperoxidase inhibitors could reduce the rate of therapy‐related leukaemia by protecting haematopoietic cells from TOP2 poison‐mediated genotoxic damage while preserving the anti‐cancer efficacy of the treatment. We show here that myeloperoxidase inhibition reduces etoposide‐induced TOP2B‐DNA covalent complexes and resulting DNA double‐strand break formation in primary ex vivo expanded CD34 + progenitor cells and unfractionated bone marrow mononuclear cells. Since MPO inhibitors are currently being developed as anti‐inflammatory agents this raises the possibility that repurposing of these potential new drugs could provide a means of suppressing secondary acute myeloid leukaemias associated with therapies containing TOP2 poisons. View Publication

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most prevalent cancers in men and is associated with high mortality and disability rates. β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB),a ketone body,has received increasing attention for its role in cancer. However,its role in PCa remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the mechanism and feasibility of BHB as a treatment alternative for PCa. Colony formation assay,flow cytometry,western blot assay,and transwell assays were performed to determine the effect of BHB on the proliferation and metastasis of PCa cells. Tumor sphere formation and aldehyde dehydrogenase assays were used to identify the impact of BHB or indoleacetamide-N-methyltransferase (INMT) on the stemness of PCa cells. N6-methyladenosine (m6A)–meRIP real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and dual luciferase assays were conducted to confirm INMT upregulation via the METTL3–m6A pathway. Co-IP assay was used to detect the epigenetic modification of INMT by BHB-mediated β-hydroxybutyrylation (kbhb) and screen enzymes that regulate INMT kbhb. Mouse xenograft experiments demonstrated the antitumor effects of BHB in vivo. BHB can inhibit the proliferation,migration,and invasion of PCa cells by suppressing their stemness. Mechanistically,INMT,whose expression is upregulated by the METTL3–m6A pathway,was demonstrated to be an oncogenic gene that promotes the stem-like characteristics of PCa cells. BHB can suppress the malignant phenotypes of PCa by kbhb of INMT,which in turn inhibits INMT expression. Our findings indicate a role of BHB in PCa metabolic therapy,thereby suggesting an epigenetic therapeutic strategy to target INMT in aggressive PCa. Not applicable. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-024-03277-6. View Publication

Tumor cells have the ability to invade and form small clusters that protrude into adjacent tissues,a phenomenon that is frequently observed at the periphery of a tumor as it expands into healthy tissues. The presence of these clusters is linked to poor prognosis and has proven challenging to treat using conventional therapies. We previously reported that p60AmotL2 expression is localized to invasive colon and breast cancer cells. In vitro,p60AmotL2 promotes epithelial cell invasion by negatively impacting E-cadherin/AmotL2-related mechanotransduction. Using epithelial cells transfected with inducible p60AmotL2,we employed a phenotypic drug screening approach to find compounds that specifically target invasive cells. The phenotypic screen was performed by treating cells for 72 h with a library of compounds with known antitumor activities in a dose-dependent manner. After assessing cell viability using CellTiter-Glo,drug sensitivity scores for each compound were calculated. Candidate hit compounds with a higher drug sensitivity score for p60AmotL2-expressing cells were then validated on lung and colon cell models,both in 2D and in 3D,and on colon cancer patient-derived organoids. Nascent RNA sequencing was performed after BET inhibition to analyse BET-dependent pathways in p60AmotL2-expressing cells. We identified 60 compounds that selectively targeted p60AmotL2-expressing cells. Intriguingly,these compounds were classified into two major categories: Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) inhibitors and Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal motif (BET) inhibitors. The latter consistently demonstrated antitumor activity in human cancer cell models,as well as in organoids derived from colon cancer patients. BET inhibition led to a shift towards the upregulation of pro-apoptotic pathways specifically in p60AmotL2-expressing cells. BET inhibitors specifically target p60AmotL2-expressing invasive cancer cells,likely by exploiting differences in chromatin accessibility,leading to cell death. Additionally,our findings support the use of this phenotypic strategy to discover novel compounds that can exploit vulnerabilities and specifically target invasive cancer cells. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13046-024-03031-w. View Publication

Leigh syndrome French Canadian type (LSFC) is a recessive neurodegenerative disease characterized by tissue-specific deficiency in cytochrome c oxidase (COX),the fourth complex in the oxidative phosphorylation system. LSFC is caused by mutations in the leucine rich pentatricopeptide repeat containing gene ( LRPPRC ). Most LSFC patients in Quebec are homozygous for an A354V substitution that causes a decrease in the expression of the LRPPRC protein. While LRPPRC is ubiquitously expressed and is involved in multiple cellular functions,tissue-specific expression of LRPPRC and COX activity is correlated with clinical features. In this proof-of-principle study,we developed human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-based models from fibroblasts taken from a patient with LSFC,homozygous for the LRPPRC *354V allele,and from a control,homozygous for the LRPPRC *A354 allele. Specifically,for both of these fibroblast lines we generated hiPSC,hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) and hepatocyte-like cell (hiPSC-HLCs) lines,as well as the three germ layers. We observed that LRPPRC protein expression is reduced in all cell lines/layers derived from LSFC patient compared to control cells,with a reduction ranging from ∼70% in hiPSC-CMs to undetectable levels in hiPSC-HLC,reflecting tissue heterogeneity observed in patient tissues. We next performed exploratory analyses of these cell lines and observed that COX protein expression was reduced in all cell lines derived from LSFC patient compared to control cells. We also observed that mutant LRPPRC was associated with altered expression of key markers of endoplasmic reticulum stress response in hiPSC-HLCs but not in other cell types that were tested. While this demonstrates feasibility of the approach to experimentally study genotype-based differences that have tissue-specific impacts,this study will need to be extended to a larger number of patients and controls to not only validate the current observations but also to delve more deeply in the pathogenic mechanisms of LSFC. View Publication

Differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into subtype-specific neurons holds substantial potential for disease modeling in vitro . For successful differentiation,a detailed understanding of the transcriptional networks regulating cell fate decisions is critical. The heterochronic nature of neurodevelopment,during which distinct cells in the brain and during in vitro differentiation acquire their fates in an unsynchronized manner,hinders pooled transcriptional comparisons. One approach is to “translate” chronologic time into linear developmental and maturational time. Simple binary promotor-driven fluorescent proteins (FPs) to pool similar cells are unable to achieve this goal,due to asynchronous promotor onset in individual cells. We tested five fluorescent timer (FT) molecules expressed from the endogenous paired box 6 (PAX6) promoter in 293T and human hPSCs. Each of these FT systems faithfully reported chronologic time in 293T cells,but none of the FT constructs followed the same fluorescence kinetics in human neural progenitor cells. Subject areas: Natural sciences,Biological sciences,Biochemistry,Molecular biology,Neuroscience,Cellular neuroscience,Cell biology View Publication

Fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) are a subpopulation of stromal cells modulating the immune environments in health and disease. We have previously shown that activation of TLR9 signaling in FRC in fat-associated lymphoid clusters (FALC) regulate peritoneal immunity via suppressing immune cell recruitment and peritoneal resident macrophage (PRM) retention. However,FRCs are heterogeneous across tissues and organs. The functions of each FRC subset and the regulation of TLR9 in distinct FRC subsets are unknown. Here,we confirmed that specific deletion of TLR9 in FRC improved bacterial clearance and survival during peritoneal infection. Furthermore,using single-cell RNA sequencing,we found two subsets of FRCs (CD55 hi and CD55 lo ) in the mesenteric FALC. The CD55 hi FRCs were enriched in gene expression related to extracellular matrix formation. The CD55 lo FRCs were enriched in gene expression related to immune response. Interestingly,we found that TLR9 is dominantly expressed in the CD55 lo subset. Activation of TLR9 signaling suppressed proliferation,cytokine production,and retinoid metabolism in the CD55 lo FRC,but not CD55 hi FRC. Notably,we found that adoptive transfer of Tlr9 -/– CD55 lo FRC from mesenteric FALC more effectively improved the survival during peritonitis compared with WT-FRC or Tlr9 -/– CD55 hi FRC. Furthermore,we identified CD55 hi and CD55 lo subsets in human adipose tissue-derived FRC and confirmed the suppressive effect of TLR9 on the proliferation and cytokine production in the CD55 lo subset. Therefore,inhibition of TLR9 in the CD55 lo FRCs from adipose tissue could be a useful strategy to improve the therapeutic efficacy of FRC-based therapy for peritonitis. View Publication

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by persistent airway inflammation even after cigarette smoking cessation. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been implicated in COPD severity and acute airway inflammation induced by short-term cigarette smoke (CS). However,whether and how NETs contribute to sustained airway inflammation in COPD remain unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the immunoregulatory mechanism of NETs in COPD,employing human neutrophils,airway epithelial cells (AECs),dendritic cells (DCs),and a long-term CS-induced COPD mouse model,alongside cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase and toll-like receptor 9 knockout mice ( cGAS -−/−,TLR9 −/− ); Additionally,bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of COPD patients was examined. Neutrophils from COPD patients released greater cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced NETs (CSE-NETs) due to mitochondrial respiratory chain dysfunction. These CSE-NETs,containing oxidatively-damaged DNA (NETs-DNA),promoted AECs proliferation,nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation,NF-κB-dependent cytokines and type-I interferons production,and DC maturation,which were ameliorated/reversed by silencing/inhibition of cGAS/TLR9. In the COPD mouse model,blocking NETs-DNA-sensing via cGAS − /− and TLR9 − /− mice,inhibiting NETosis using mitoTEMPO,and degrading NETs-DNA with DNase-I,respectively,reduced NETs infiltrations,airway inflammation,NF-κB activation and NF-κB-dependent cytokines,but not type-I interferons due to IFN-α/β receptor degradation. Elevated NETs components (myeloperoxidase and neutrophil elastase activity) in BALF of COPD smokers correlated with disease severity and NF-κB-dependent cytokine levels,but not type-I interferon levels. In conclusion,NETs-DNA promotes NF-κB-dependent autoimmunity via cGAS/TLR9 in long-term CS exposure-induced COPD. Therefore,targeting NETs-DNA and cGAS/TLR9 emerges as a potential strategy to alleviate persistent airway inflammation in COPD. Subject terms: Inflammation,Respiratory tract diseases View Publication

Successful cell and gene therapy clinical trials have resulted in the US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency approving their use for treatment of patients with certain types of cancers and monogenetic diseases. These novel therapies,which rely heavily on lentiviral vectors to deliver therapeutic transgenes to patient cells,have driven additional investigations,increasing demand for both pre-clinical and current Good Manufacturing Practices-grade viral vectors. To better support novel studies by improving current production methods,we report the development of a genetically modified HEK293T-based cell line that is null for expression of both Protein Kinase R and Beta-2 microglobulin and grows in suspension using serum-free media,SJ293TS-DPB. Absence of Protein Kinase R increased anti-sense lentiviral vector titers by more than 7-fold,while absence of Beta-2 microglobulin,a key component of major histocompatibility complex class I molecules,has been reported to reduce the immunogenicity of lentiviral particles. Furthermore,we describe an improved methodology for culturing SJ293TS-DPB that facilitates expansion,reduces handling,and increases titers by 2-fold compared with previous methods. SJ293TS-DPB stably produced lentiviral vectors for over 4 months and generated lentiviral vectors that efficiently transduce healthy human donor T cells and CD34 + hematopoietic stem cells. View Publication