Project description:Clinical approaches to treat advanced melanoma include immune therapies, whose benefits depend on tumor-reactive T-cells to infiltrate metastases. However, most tumors lack significant immune infiltration prior to therapy, and some immune therapies are hindered by a persistent lack of immune cell infiltration. CXCL10 has been implicated as a critical chemokine supporting T-cell migration into tumors; thus agents that induce CXCL10 in tumors may improve patient responses to systemic immune therapy. We find that melanoma cells treated with TLR2/6 agonists (MALP-2 or FSL-1) and interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) upregulate CXCL10 production, when compared to IFNgamma treatment alone or no treatment. Gene profiling of melanoma cells lines treated with TLR2/6 agonists and IFNgamma demonstrate that a selective profile of genes are induced which may be favorable for promoting immune cell infiltration of tumors. TLR2 and TLR6 are widely expressed on human melanoma cells, and treatment of melanoma cells with TLR2/6 agonists and IFNgamma does not hinder melanoma cell apoptosis or promote proliferation. Furthermore, melanoma cells from surgically resected patient tumors upregulate CXCL10 production after treatment with TLR2/6 agonists and IFNgamma when compared to treatment with either agent alone. Collectively, these data identify TLR2/6 agonists and IFNgamma as a novel target for promoting CXCL10 production directly from melanoma cells. Samples from four human melanoma cell lines, VMM1 (n=6), DM13 (n=6), DM93 (n=6) and VMM39 (n=6), were treated with media alone, MALP-2 (TLR2/6 agonist), FSL-1 (TLR2/6 agonist), IFNgamma alone, MALP-2 and IFNgamma, or FSL-1 and IFNgamma.
Project description:Clinical approaches to treat advanced melanoma include immune therapies, whose benefits depend on tumor-reactive T-cells to infiltrate metastases. However, most tumors lack significant immune infiltration prior to therapy, and some immune therapies are hindered by a persistent lack of immune cell infiltration. CXCL10 has been implicated as a critical chemokine supporting T-cell migration into tumors; thus agents that induce CXCL10 in tumors may improve patient responses to systemic immune therapy. We find that melanoma cells treated with TLR2/6 agonists (MALP-2 or FSL-1) and interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) upregulate CXCL10 production, when compared to IFNgamma treatment alone or no treatment. Gene profiling of melanoma cells lines treated with TLR2/6 agonists and IFNgamma demonstrate that a selective profile of genes are induced which may be favorable for promoting immune cell infiltration of tumors. TLR2 and TLR6 are widely expressed on human melanoma cells, and treatment of melanoma cells with TLR2/6 agonists and IFNgamma does not hinder melanoma cell apoptosis or promote proliferation. Furthermore, melanoma cells from surgically resected patient tumors upregulate CXCL10 production after treatment with TLR2/6 agonists and IFNgamma when compared to treatment with either agent alone. Collectively, these data identify TLR2/6 agonists and IFNgamma as a novel target for promoting CXCL10 production directly from melanoma cells.
Project description:Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer. Clinical efforts to combat melanoma include immune therapies whose benefit depends on antitumor T-cells, to target and to clear melanoma. However, most tumors lack significant immune infiltration prior to therapy, and some immune therapies are hindered by a persistent lack of immune-cell infiltration. Chemokines can promote T-cell migration into tumors; therefore, agents that induce T-cell attracting chemokines in the tumor microenvironment could potentially improve the clinical activity of current immune therapies for melanoma. CXCL10 has been implicated as a critical chemokine supporting T-cell infiltration into the tumor microenvironment. Here we report that combination treatment of human melanoma cell lines with Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2/6 agonists MALP-2 or FSL-1 +IFNlambda synergize to induce production of immune-cell attracting chemokines CCL3 and CXCL10 by melanoma cells. We find that TLR2 and TLR6 are widely expressed on human melanoma cells, and that stimulation of fresh patient melanoma specimens with TLR2/6 agonists+IFNlambda induces CXCL10 production from melanoma cells, endothelial and immune-cells. Furthermore, ex vivo migration assays demonstrate that stimulation of melanoma cells with TLR2/6 agonists+IFNlambda increases CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell migration toward melanoma. Collectively, these data identify a novel synergy of TLR2/6 agonists+IFNlambda for inducing CXCL10 production by melanoma cells and suggest that intralesional administration of TLR2/6 agonists+IFNlambda may improve immune signatures in melanoma metastases and have value in combination with other immune therapies, by supporting better T-cell migration to melanoma.
Project description:Introduction: Optimal approaches to induce T-cell infiltration of tumors are not known. Chemokines CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 support effector T-cell recruitment, and may be induced by IFNgamma. This study tests the hypothesis that intratumoral administration of IFNgamma will induce CXCL9-11, and will induce T-cell recruitment and anti-tumor immune signatures in melanoma metastases. Patients and Methods: Nine eligible patients were immunized with a vaccine comprised of 12 class I MHC-restricted melanoma peptides (12MP) and received IFNgamma intratumorally. Effects on the tumor microenvironment (TME) were evaluated in sequential tumor biopsies. Adverse events (AE; CTCAE v4) were recorded. T-cell responses to vaccination were assessed in peripheral blood (PBMC) by IFNgamma ELIspot assay. Tumor biopsies were evaluated for immune cell infiltration, chemokine protein expression and gene expression. Results: Vaccination and intratumoral administration of IFNgamma were well tolerated. Circulating T-cell responses to vaccine were detected in 6 of 9 patients. IFNgamma increased production of chemokines CXCL10, CXCL11, and CCL5 in patient tumors. Neither vaccination alone nor the addition of IFNgamma promoted immune cell infiltration or induced anti-tumor immune gene signatures. Conclusion: The cancer vaccine did not significantly increase T-cell infiltration of tumors. This study provides intriguing findings highlighting some of the limitations of intratumoral IFNgamma treatment. Although IFNgamma is pivotal in anti-tumor immunity, single intratumoral injection may induce secondary immune regulation that paradoxically limits immune infiltration and effector functions. Therefore, alternate dosing strategies or additional combinatorial treatments may be needed to optimally promote trafficking and retention of T-cells in tumor, which merit further study.
Project description:Gene expression profiling of immortalized human mesenchymal stem cells with hTERT/E6/E7 transfected MSCs. hTERT may change gene expression in MSCs. Goal was to determine the gene expressions of immortalized MSCs.