技术资料

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer characterized by the lack of ER,PR,and HER2 expression. Its aggressive behavior,high degree of tumor heterogeneity,and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) are associated with poor clinical outcomes,rapid disease progression,and limited therapeutic options. Although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cell therapy has shown certain promise,its applicability in TNBC is hindered by antigen escape,TME-mediated suppression,and the logistical constraints of autologous cell production. In this study,we employed hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) gene engineering and a feeder-free HSPC differentiation culture to generate allogeneic IL-15-enhanced,mesothelin-specific CAR-engineered invariant natural killer T ( Allo15 MCAR-NKT) cells. These cells demonstrated robust and multifaceted antitumor activity against TNBC,mediated by CAR- and NK receptor-dependent cytotoxicity,as well as selective targeting of CD1d + TME immunosuppressive cells through their TCR. In both orthotopic and metastatic TNBC xenograft models,Allo15 MCAR-NKT cells demonstrated potent antitumor activity,associated with robust effector and cytotoxic phenotypes,low exhaustion,and a favorable safety profile without inducing graft-versus-host disease. Together,these results support Allo15 MCAR-NKT cells as a next-generation,off-the-shelf immunotherapy with strong therapeutic potential for TNBC,particularly in the context of metastasis,immune evasion,and treatment resistance. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13045-025-01736-9. View Publication

Tumor complexity and intratumor heterogeneity contribute to subclonal diversity. Despite advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics,detecting rare mutations in primary tumors and metastases contributing to subclonal diversity is a challenge for precision genomics. Here,in order to identify rare mutations,we adapted a recently described epithelial reprograming assay for short-term propagation of epithelial cells from primary and metastatic tumors. Using this approach,we expanded minor clones and obtained epithelial cell-specific DNA/RNA for quantitative NGS analysis. Comparative Ampliseq Comprehensive Cancer Panel sequence analyses were performed on DNA from unprocessed breast tumor and tumor cells propagated from the same tumor. We identified previously uncharacterized mutations present only in the cultured tumor cells,a subset of which has been reported in brain metastatic but not primary breast tumors. In addition,whole-genome sequencing identified mutations enriched in liver metastases of various cancers,including Notch pathway mutations/chromosomal inversions in 5/5 liver metastases,irrespective of cancer types. Mutations/rearrangements in FHIT,involved in purine metabolism,were detected in 4/5 liver metastases,and the same four liver metastases shared mutations in 32 genes,including mutations of different HLA-DR family members affecting OX40 signaling pathway,which could impact the immune response to metastatic cells. Pathway analyses of all mutated genes in liver metastases showed aberrant tumor necrosis factor and transforming growth factor signaling in metastatic cells. Epigenetic regulators including KMT2C/MLL3 and ARID1B,which are mutated in {\textgreater}50{\%} of hepatocellular carcinomas,were also mutated in liver metastases. Thus,irrespective of cancer types,organ-specific metastases may share common genomic aberrations. Since recent studies show independent evolution of primary tumors and metastases and in most cases mutation burden is higher in metastases than primary tumors,the method described here may allow early detection of subclonal somatic alterations associated with metastatic progression and potentially identify therapeutically actionable,metastasis-specific genomic aberrations. View Publication

PURPOSE The outgrowth of antigen-negative variants is a significant challenge for adoptive therapy with T cells that target a single specificity. Chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) are typically designed with one or two scFvs that impart antigen specificity fused to activation and costimulation domains of T-cell signaling molecules. We designed and evaluated the function of CARs with up to three specificities for overcoming tumor escape using Designed Ankyrin Repeat Proteins (DARPins) rather than scFvs for tumor recognition. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN A monospecific CAR was designed with a DARPin binder (E01) specific for EGFR and compared with a CAR designed using an anti-EGFR scFv. CAR constructs in which DARPins specific for EGFR,EpCAM,and HER2 were linked together in a single CAR were then designed and optimized to achieve multispecific tumor recognition. The efficacy of CAR-T cells bearing a multispecific DARPin CAR for treating tumors with heterogeneous antigen expression was evaluated in vivo. RESULTS The monospecific anti-EGFR E01 DARPin conferred potent tumor regression against EGFR+ targets that was comparable with an anti-EGFR scFv CAR. Linking three separate DARPins in tandem was feasible and in an optimized format generated a single tumor recognition domain that targeted a mixture of heterogeneous tumor cells,each expressing a single antigen,and displayed synergistic activity when tumor cells expressed more than one target antigen. CONCLUSIONS DARPins can serve as high-affinity recognition motifs for CAR design,and their robust architecture enables linking of multiple binders against different antigens to achieve functional synergy and reduce antigen escape. View Publication

Exposure to thalidomide during a critical window of development results in limb defects in humans and non-human primates while mice and rats are refractory to these effects. Thalidomide-induced teratogenicity is dependent on its binding to cereblon (CRBN),the substrate receptor of the Cul4A-DDB1-CRBN-RBX1 E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. Thalidomide binding to CRBN elicits subsequent ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of CRBN neosubstrates including SALL4,a transcription factor of which polymorphisms phenocopy thalidomide-induced limb defects in humans. Herein,thalidomide-induced degradation of SALL4 was examined in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) that were differentiated either to lateral plate mesoderm (LPM)-like cells,the developmental ontology of the limb bud,or definitive endoderm. Thalidomide and its immunomodulatory drug (IMiD) analogs,lenalidomide,and pomalidomide,dose-dependently inhibited hiPSC mesendoderm differentiation. Thalidomide- and IMiD-induced SALL4 degradation can be abrogated by CRBN V388I mutation or SALL4 G416A mutation in hiPSCs. Genetically modified hiPSCs expressing CRBN E377V/V388I mutant or SALL4 G416A mutant were insensitive to the inhibitory effects of thalidomide,lenalidomide,and pomalidomide on LPM differentiation while retaining sensitivity to another known limb teratogen,all-trans retinoic acid (atRA). Finally,disruption of LPM differentiation by atRA or thalidomide perturbed subsequent chondrogenic differentiation in vitro. The data here show that thalidomide,lenalidomide,and pomalidomide affect stem cell mesendoderm differentiation through CRBN-mediated degradation of SALL4 and highlight the utility of the LPM differentiation model for studying the teratogenicity of new CRBN modulating agents. View Publication

Drug-induced gastrointestinal toxicity (GIT) is a common treatment-emergent adverse event that can negatively impact dosing,thereby limiting efficacy and treatment options for patients. An in vitro assay of GIT is needed to address patient variability,mimic the microphysiology of the gut,and accurately predict drug-induced GIT. Primary human ileal organoids (termed 'enteroids') have proven useful for stimulating intestinal stem cell proliferation and differentiation to multiple cell types present in the gut epithelium. Enteroids have enabled characterization of gut biology and the signaling involved in the pathogenesis of disease. Here,enteroids were differentiated from four healthy human donors and assessed for culture duration-dependent differentiation status by immunostaining for gut epithelial markers lysozyme,chromogranin A,mucin,and sucrase isomaltase. Differentiated enteroids were evaluated with a reference set of 31 drugs exhibiting varying degrees of clinical incidence of diarrhea,a common manifestation of GIT that can be caused by drug-induced thinning of the gut epithelium. An assay examining enteroid viability in response to drug treatment demonstrated 90{\%} accuracy for recapitulating the incidence of drug-induced diarrhea. The human enteroid viability assay developed here presents a promising in vitro model for evaluating drug-induced diarrhea. View Publication

We identified individuals with variations in ACTL6B,a component of the chromatin remodeling machinery including the BAF complex. Ten individuals harbored bi-allelic mutations and presented with global developmental delay,epileptic encephalopathy,and spasticity,and ten individuals with de novo heterozygous mutations displayed intellectual disability,ambulation deficits,severe language impairment,hypotonia,Rett-like stereotypies,and minor facial dysmorphisms (wide mouth,diastema,bulbous nose). Nine of these ten unrelated individuals had the identical de novo c.1027G{\textgreater}A (p.Gly343Arg) mutation. Human-derived neurons were generated that recaptured ACTL6B expression patterns in development from progenitor cell to post-mitotic neuron,validating the use of this model. Engineered knock-out of ACTL6B in wild-type human neurons resulted in profound deficits in dendrite development,a result recapitulated in two individuals with different bi-allelic mutations,and reversed on clonal genetic repair or exogenous expression of ACTL6B. Whole-transcriptome analyses and whole-genomic profiling of the BAF complex in wild-type and bi-allelic mutant ACTL6B neural progenitor cells and neurons revealed increased genomic binding of the BAF complex in ACTL6B mutants,with corresponding transcriptional changes in several genes including TPPP and FSCN1,suggesting that altered regulation of some cytoskeletal genes contribute to altered dendrite development. Assessment of bi-alleic and heterozygous ACTL6B mutations on an ACTL6B knock-out human background demonstrated that bi-allelic mutations mimic engineered deletion deficits while heterozygous mutations do not,suggesting that the former are loss of function and the latter are gain of function. These results reveal a role for ACTL6B in neurodevelopment and implicate another component of chromatin remodeling machinery in brain disease. View Publication

Medulloblastoma (MB),the most frequent malignant childhood brain tumor,can arise from cellular malfunctions during hindbrain development. Here we generate humanized models for Sonic Hedgehog (SHH)-subgroup MB via MYCN overexpression in primary human hindbrain-derived neuroepithelial stem (hbNES) cells or iPSC-derived NES cells,which display a range of aggressive phenotypes upon xenografting. iPSC-derived NES tumors develop quickly with leptomeningeal dissemination,whereas hbNES-derived cells exhibit delayed tumor formation with less dissemination. Methylation and expression profiling show that tumors from both origins recapitulate hallmarks of infant SHH MB and reveal that mTOR activation,as a result of increased Oct4,promotes aggressiveness of human SHH tumors. Targeting mTOR decreases cell viability and prolongs survival,showing the utility of these varied models for dissecting mechanisms mediating tumor aggression and demonstrating the value of humanized models for a better understanding of pediatric cancers. View Publication

A promising strategy to limit cholera severity involves blockers mimicking the canonical cholera toxin ligand (CT) ganglioside GM1. However,to date the efficacies of most of these blockers have been evaluated in noncellular systems that lack ligands other than GM1. Importantly,the CT B subunit (CTB) has a noncanonical site that binds fucosylated structures,which in contrast to GM1 are highly expressed in the human intestine. Here we evaluate the capacity of norbornene polymers displaying galactose and/or fucose to block CTB binding to immobilized protein-linked glycan structures and also to primary human and murine small intestine epithelial cells (SI ECs). We show that the binding of CTB to human SI ECs is largely dependent on the noncanonical binding site,and interference with the canonical site has a limited effect while the opposite is observed with murine SI ECs. The galactose-fucose polymer blocks binding to fucosylated glycans but not to GM1. However,the preincubation of CT with the galactose-fucose polymer only partially blocks toxic effects on cultured human enteroid cells,while preincubation with GM1 completely blocks CT-mediated secretion. Our results support a model whereby the binding of fucose to the noncanonical site places CT in close proximity to scarcely expressed galactose receptors such as GM1 to enable binding via the canonical site leading to CT internalization and intoxication. Our finding also highlights the importance of complementing CTB binding studies with functional intoxication studies when assessing the efficacy inhibitors of CT. View Publication

Cancer is believed to arise from stem cells,but mechanisms that limit the acquisition of mutations and tumor development have not been well defined. We show that a +4 stem cell (SC) in the gastric antrum,marked by expression of Cck2r (a GPCR) and Delta-like ligand 1 (DLL1),is a label-retaining cell that undergoes predominant asymmetric cell division. This +4 antral SC is Notch1low/ Numb+ and repressed by signaling from gastrin-expressing endocrine (G) cells. Chemical carcinogenesis of the stomach is associated with loss of G cells,increased symmetric stem cell division,glandular fission,and more rapid stem cell lineage tracing,a process that can be suppressed by exogenous gastrin treatment. This hormonal suppression is associated with a marked reduction in gastric cancer mutational load,as revealed by exomic sequencing. Taken together,our results show that gastric tumorigenesis is associated with increased symmetric cell division that facilitates mutation and is suppressed by GPCR signaling. View Publication

The discovery and study of human neural stem cells has advanced our understanding of human neurogenesis,and the development of novel therapeutics based on neural cell replacement. Here,we describe methods to culture and cryopreserve human neural stem cells (hNSCs) for expansion and banking. Importantly,the protocols ensure that the multipotency of hNSCs is preserved to enable differentiation to neurons and supporting neuroglia. View Publication

Crosstalk between mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is essential for hematopoietic homeostasis and lineage output. Here,we investigate how transcriptional changes in bone marrow (BM) MSCs result in long-lasting effects on HSCs. Single-cell analysis of Cxcl12-abundant reticular (CAR) cells and PDGFR$\alpha$+Sca1+ (P$\alpha$S) cells revealed an extensive cellular heterogeneity but uniform expression of the transcription factor gene Ebf1. Conditional deletion of Ebf1 in these MSCs altered their cellular composition,chromatin structure and gene expression profiles,including the reduced expression of adhesion-related genes. Functionally,the stromal-specific Ebf1 inactivation results in impaired adhesion of HSCs,leading to reduced quiescence and diminished myeloid output. Most notably,HSCs residing in the Ebf1-deficient niche underwent changes in their cellular composition and chromatin structure that persist in serial transplantations. Thus,genetic alterations in the BM niche lead to long-term functional changes of HSCs. View Publication

The use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has remarkably decreased the morbidity associated with HIV-1 infection,however,the prevalence of HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) is still increasing. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the major impediment for penetration of antiretroviral drugs,causing therapeutics to reach only suboptimal level to the brain. Conventional antiretroviral drug regimens are not sufficient to improve the treatment outcomes of HAND. In our recent report,we have developed a poloxamer-PLGA nanoformulation loaded with elvitegravir (EVG),a commonly used antiretroviral drug. The nanoformulated EVG is capable of elevating intracellular drug uptake and simultaneously enhance viral suppression in HIV-1-infected macrophages. In this work,we identified the clinical parameters including stability,biocompatibility,protein corona,cellular internalization pathway of EVG nanoformulation for its potential clinical translation. We further assessed the ability of this EVG nanoformulation to cross the in vitro BBB model and suppress the HIV-1 in macrophage cells. Compared with EVG native drug,our EVG nanoformulation demonstrated an improved BBB model penetration cross the in vitro BBB model and an enhanced HIV-1 suppression in HIV-1-infected human monocyte-derived macrophages after crossing the BBB model without altering the BBB model integrity. Overall,this is an innovative and optimized treatment strategy that has a potential for therapeutic interventions in reducing HAND. View Publication