Project description:Immunogenic cell death (ICD), a form of regulated cell death, is related to anticancer therapy. Due to the absence of widely accepted markers, characterizing ICD-related phenotypes across cancer types remained unexplored. Here, we defined the ICD score to delineate the ICD landscape across 33 cancerous types and 31 normal tissue types based on transcriptomic, proteomic and epigenetics data from multiple databases. We found that ICD score showed cancer type-specific association with genomic and immune features. Importantly, the ICD score had the potential to predict therapy response and patient prognosis in multiple cancer types. We also developed an ICD-related prognostic model by machine learning and cox regression analysis. Single-cell level analysis revealed intra-tumor ICD state heterogeneity and communication between ICD-based clusters of T cells and other immune cells in the tumor microenvironment in colon cancer. For the first time, we identified IGF2BP3 as a potential ICD regulator in colon cancer. In conclusion, our study provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating the relation between ICD and clinical relevance, gaining insights into identification of ICD as a potential cancer-related biomarker and therapeutic target.
Project description:Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a form of cell death that stimulates the immune system to produce an immune response by releasing tumour-associated antigens and tumour-specific antigens and is considered to play an important role in tumour immunotherapy. In the present study, we identified two ICD-related subtypes in osteosarcoma (OS) by consensus clustering. The ICD-low subtype was associated with favourable clinical outcomes, abundant immune cell infiltration, and high activity of immune response signalling. We also established and validated an ICD-related prognostic model, which could not only be used to predict the overall survival of OS patients but was also found to be closely related to the tumour immune microenvironment of OS patients. Overall, we established a new classification system for OS based on ICD-related genes, which can be used to predict the prognosis of OS patients and to select appropriate immunotherapy drugs.
Project description:BackgroundTFAP2A is critical in regulating the expression of various genes, affecting various biological processes and driving tumorigenesis and tumor development. However, the significance of TFAP2A in carcinogenesis processes remains obscure.MethodsIn our study, we explored multiple databases including TCGA, GTEx, HPA, cBioPortal, TCIA, and other well-established databases for further analysis to expound TFAP2A expression, genetic alternations, and their relationship with the prognosis and cellular signaling network alternations. GO term and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis as well as GSEA were conducted to examine the common functions of TFAP2A. RT-qPCR, Western Blot and Dual Luciferase Reporter assay were employed to perform experimental validation.ResultsTFAP2A mRNA expression level was upregulated and its genetic alternations were frequently present in most cancer types. The enrichment analysis results prompted us to investigate the changes in the tumor immune microenvironment further. We discovered that the expression of TFAP2A was significantly associated with the expression of immune checkpoint genes, immune subtypes, ESTIMATE scores, tumor-infiltrating immune cells, and the possible role of TFAP2A in predicting immunotherapy efficacy. In addition, high TFAP2A expression significantly correlated with several ICP genes, and promoted the expression of PD-L1 on mRNA and protein levels through regulating its expression at the transcriptional level. TFAP2A protein level was upregulated in fresh colon tumor tissue samples compared to that in the adjacent normal tissues, which essentially positively correlated with the expression of PD-L1.ConclusionsOur study suggests that targeting TFAP2A may provide a novel and effective strategy for cancer treatment.
Project description:BackgroundImmunogenic cell death (ICD) has been verified as a modality of regulated cell death (RCD). Bladder cancer (BC) is a common malignant tumor and ranks tenth in the incidence of global tumor epidemiology. We conducted this study to understand the relationship between ICD and BC and benefit clinical practice.MethodsTranscriptome and clinical profiling, mutational data of patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. BC patients were divided into ICD-high and -low risk subgroups via consensus clusters. Functional enrichment, somatic mutation analysis, Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were used to explore the potential mechanism. An ICD-related risk signature was constructed via least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis. Immune infiltration was investigated and multiplexed immunofluorescence staining was used to validate the BC microenvironment. Immune landscape was summarized to show the potential of immunotherapy.ResultsA total of 18 differentially expressed ICD-related genes in BC were distinguished from normal tissue. We identified two clusters and BC patients were divided into ICD-high and -low subgroups in the TCGA BC cohort. The ICD-high subgroup exhibited worse clinical outcomes, different mutation profiles, different functional enrichment, higher immune infiltration, and better immunotherapy response. An ICD-related risk signature made of seven ICD-related genes was established and shown to have outstanding predictive power of prognosis via LASSO Cox regression.ConclusionsAn ICD-related risk signature was established that provides a promising classification system to predict the prognosis in BC patients accurately. The signature provides a novel strategy for immunotherapy of BC.
Project description:Lack of specific biomarkers and effective drug targets constrains therapeutic research in breast cancer (BC). In this regard, therapeutic modulation of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)-induced immunogenic cell death (ICD) may help improve the effect of immunotherapy in individuals with BC. The aim of this investigation was to develop biomarkers for ICD and to construct ICD-related risk estimation models to predict prognosis and immunotherapy outcomes of BC. RNA-seq transcriptome information and medical data from individuals with BC (n = 943) were obtained from TCGA. Expression data from a separate BC cohort (GEO: GSE20685) were used for validation. We identified subtypes of high and low ICD gene expression by consensus clustering and assessed the connection between ICD subtypes and tumor microenvironment (TME). In addition, different algorithms were used to construct ICD-based prognostic models of BC. BC samples were categorized into subtypes of high and low ICD expression depending on the expression of genes correlated with ICD. The subtype of ICD high-expression subtypes are correlated with poor prognosis in breast cancer, while ICD low-expression subtypes may predict better clinical outcomes. We also created and verified a predictive signature model depending on four ICD-related genes (ATG5, CD8A, CD8B, and HSP90AA1), which correlates with TME status and predicts clinical outcomes of BC patients. We highlight the connection of ICD subtypes with the dynamic evolution of TME in BC and present a novel ICD-based prognostic model of BC. In clinical practice, distinction of ICD subtype and assessment of ICD-related biomarkers should help guide treatment planning and improve the effectiveness of tumor immunotherapy.
Project description:Cancer immunotherapy has been acknowledged as a new paradigm for cancer treatment, with notable therapeutic effects on certain cancer types. Despite their significant potential, clinical studies over the past decade have revealed that cancer immunotherapy has low response rates in the majority of solid tumors. One of the key causes for poor responses is known to be the relatively low immunogenicity of solid tumors. Because most solid tumors are immune desert 'cold tumors' with antitumor immunity blocked from the onset of innate immunity, combination therapies that combine validated T-based therapies with approaches that can increase tumor-immunogenicity are being considered as relevant therapeutic options. This review paper focuses on immunogenic cell death (ICD) as a way of enhancing immunogenicity in tumor tissues. We will thoroughly review how ICDs such as necroptosis, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis can improve anti-tumor immunity and outline clinical trials targeting ICD. Finally, we will discuss the potential of ICD inducers. as an adjuvant for cancer immunotherapy.[BMB Reports 2023; 56(5): 275-286].
Project description:BackgroundYTH N6-methyladenosine RNA binding protein 1 (YTHDF1) has been indicated proven to participate in the cross-presentation of tumor antigens in dendritic cells and the cross-priming of CD8+ T cells. However, the role of YTHDF1 in prognosis and immunology in human cancers remains largely unknown.MethodsAll original data were downloaded from TCGA and GEO databases and integrated via R 3.2.2. YTHDF1 expression was explored with the Oncomine, TIMER, GEPIA, and BioGPS databases. The effect of YTHDF1 on prognosis was analyzed via GEPIA, Kaplan-Meier plotter, and the PrognoScan database. The TISIDB database was used to determine YTHDF1 expression in different immune and molecular subtypes of human cancers. The correlations between YTHDF1 expression and immune checkpoints (ICP), tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and neoantigens in human cancers were analyzed via the SangerBox database. The relationships between YTHDF1 expression and tumor-infiltrated immune cells were analyzed via the TIMER and GEPIA databases. The relationships between YTHDF1 and marker genes of tumor-infiltrated immune cells in urogenital cancers were analyzed for confirmation. The genomic alterations of YTHDF1 were investigated with the c-BioPortal database. The differential expression of YTHDF1 in urogenital cancers with different clinical characteristics was analyzed with the UALCAN database. YTHDF1 coexpression networks were studied by the LinkedOmics database.ResultsIn general, YTHDF1 expression was higher in tumors than in paired normal tissue in human cancers. YTHDF1 expression had strong relationships with prognosis, ICP, TMB, MSI, and neoantigens. YTHDF1 plays an essential role in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and participates in immune regulation. Furthermore, significant strong correlations between YTHDF1 expression and tumor immune-infiltrated cells (TILs) existed in human cancers, and marker genes of TILs were significantly related to YTHDF expression in urogenital cancers. TYHDF1 coexpression networks mostly participated in the regulation of immune response and antigen processing and presentation.ConclusionYTHDF1 may serve as a potential prognostic and immunological pan-cancer biomarker. Moreover, YTHDF1 could be a novel target for tumor immunotherapy.
Project description:Despite advances in treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy, metastatic cancer remains a leading cause of death for cancer patients. While many chemotherapeutic agents can efficiently eliminate cancer cells, long-term protection against cancer is not achieved and many patients experience cancer recurrence. Mobilizing and stimulating the immune system against tumor cells is one of the most effective ways to protect against cancers that recur and/or metastasize. Activated tumor specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) can seek out and destroy metastatic tumor cells and reduce tumor lesions. Natural Killer (NK) cells are a front-line defense against drug-resistant tumors and can provide tumoricidal activity to enhance tumor immune surveillance. Cytokines like IFN-? or TNF play a crucial role in creating an immunogenic microenvironment and therefore are key players in the fight against metastatic cancer. To this end, a group of anthracyclines or treatments like photodynamic therapy (PDT) exert their effects on cancer cells in a manner that activates the immune system. This process, known as immunogenic cell death (ICD), is characterized by the release of membrane-bound and soluble factors that boost the function of immune cells. This review will explore different types of ICD inducers, some in clinical trials, to demonstrate that optimizing the cytokine response brought about by treatments with ICD-inducing agents is central to promoting anti-cancer immunity that provides long-lasting protection against disease recurrence and metastasis.
Project description:Recent studies have highlighted the combination of activation of host immunogenic cell death (ICD) and tumor-directed cytotoxic strategies. However, overall multiomic analysis of the intrinsic ICD property in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has not been performed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop an ICD-based risk scoring system to predict overall survival (OS) and immunotherapeutic efficacy in patients. In our study, both weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and LASSO-Cox analysis were utilized to identify ICDrisk subtypes (ICDrisk). Moreover, we identify genomic alterations and differences in biological processes, analyze the immune microenvironment, and predict the response to immunotherapy in patients with pan-cancer. Importantly, immunogenicity subgroup typing was performed based on the immune score (IS) and microenvironmental tumor neoantigens (meTNAs). Our results demonstrate that ICDrisk subtypes were identified based on 16 genes. Furthermore, high ICDrisk was proved to be a poor prognostic factor in LUAD patients and indicated poor efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment in patients with pan-cancer. The two ICDrisk subtypes displayed distinct clinicopathologic features, tumor-infiltrating immune cell patterns, and biological processes. The ISlowmeTNAhigh subtype showed low intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH) and immune-activated phenotypes and correlated with better survival than the other subtypes within the high ICDrisk group. This study suggests effective biomarkers for the prediction of OS in LUAD patients and immunotherapeutic response across Pan-cancer and contributes to enhancing our understanding of intrinsic immunogenic tumor cell death.
Project description:BackgroundProgrammed cell death is an active and orderly form of cell death regulated by intracellular genes that plays an important role in the normal occurrence and development of the immune system, and pyroptosis has been found to be involved in tumorigenesis and development. However, compressive analysis and biological regulation of pyroptosis genes are lacking in cancers.MethodsUsing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we established a score level model to quantify the pyroptosis level in cancer. Multiomics bioinformatic analyses were performed to assess pyroptosis-related molecular features and the effect of pyroptosis on immunotherapy in cancer.ResultsIn the present study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of pyroptosis and its regulator genes in cancers. Most pyroptosis genes were aberrantly expressed in different types of cancer, attributed to the CAN frequency and differences in DNA methylation levels. We established a pyroptosis level model and found that pyroptosis had dual roles across cancers, while the pyroptosis levels were different among multiple cancers and were significantly associated with clinical prognosis. The dual role of pyroptosis was also shown to affect immunotherapeutic efficacy in several cancers. Multiple pyroptosis genes showed close associations with drug sensitivity across cancers and may be considered therapeutic targets in cancer.ConclusionsOur comprehensive analyses provide new insight into the functions of pyroptosis in the initiation, development, progression and treatment of cancers, suggesting corresponding prognostic and therapeutic utility.