Project description:Despite advances in screening and prevention, cervical cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, underscoring the need for better treatments. Here, we present a multi-cohort longitudinal study of human cervical tumors and the tumor microenvironment during chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Integrating RNA sequencing, single-cell transcriptomics, and in vivo validation, we define the cellular and molecular programs shaping cell interactions and document how CRT alters them. We identify multiple therapeutic targets in CRT-resistant tumors, notably MDM2, a key mediator of radiation responses in tumor and immune cells. MDM2 inhibition enhanced radiotherapy effects in HPV-positive, TP53 wild-type cervical cancer cells, improved radiation response and reshaped the immune landscape in preclinical models. These findings highlight the potential of combining MDM2 inhibition with CRT to overcome resistance and improve patient outcomes. Our data provides novel insights into therapy-induced changes in tumor and immune compartments, guiding new strategies against treatment-resistant HPV-positive cancers.
Project description:Despite advances in screening and prevention, cervical cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, underscoring the need for better treatments. Here, we present a multi-cohort longitudinal study of human cervical tumors and the tumor microenvironment during chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Integrating RNA sequencing, single-cell transcriptomics, and in vivo validation, we define the cellular and molecular programs shaping cell interactions and document how CRT alters them. We identify multiple therapeutic targets in CRT-resistant tumors, notably MDM2, a key mediator of radiation responses in tumor and immune cells. MDM2 inhibition enhanced radiotherapy effects in HPV-positive, TP53 wild-type cervical cancer cells, improved radiation response and reshaped the immune landscape in preclinical models. These findings highlight the potential of combining MDM2 inhibition with CRT to overcome resistance and improve patient outcomes. Our data provides novel insights into therapy-induced changes in tumor and immune compartments, guiding new strategies against treatment-resistant HPV-positive cancers.
Project description:The HPV16-E7 oncoprotein and 17β-estradiol are import factors for the induction of premalignant lesions and cervical cancer. The study of these factors is crucial for a better understanding of cervical tumorigenesis. In this study, we performed a microarray analysis to obtain a global gene expression profile induced by both, HPV16-E7 and 17β-estradiol in cervical tissue of K14E7 transgenic mice. We found that 17β-estradiol is the main cause of the up-regulation of a large number of cellular genes involved in the immune response whereas E7 oncoprotein mainly affects the cellular metabolism. Our microarray data also shows some novel differentially expressed genes that were not previously reported in cervical cancer. The identification of these genes, regulated by E7 and 17β-estradiol, provides the basis for further studies on their role in cervical carcinogenesis.
Project description:To further explore the expression profile of lncRNAs and mRNAs in cervical cancer, six cases of HPV-positive cervical cancer tissues (including three HPV16 and three HPV18 positive patients) and three HPV-negative normal cervical tissues were collected randomly that were confirmed by histopathological. These patients did not accept any local or systemic treatment.
Project description:Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most common malignancy in women worldwide. It is characterized by a natural continuous phenomenon, that is, it is in the initial stage of HPV infection, progresses to intraepithelial neoplasia, and then develops into invasion and metastasis. Determining the complexity of tumor microenvironment (TME) can deepen our understanding of lesion progression and provide novel therapeutic strategies for CC. We performed the single-cell RNA sequencing on the normal cervix, intraepithelial neoplasia, primary tumor and metastatic lymph node tissues to describe the composition, lineage, and functional status of immune cells and mesenchymal cells at different stages of CC progression. A total of 59913 single cells were obtained and divided into 9 cellular clusters, including immune cells (T/NK cells, macrophages, B cells, plasma cells, mast cells and neutrophils) and mesenchymal cells (endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts). Our results showed that there were distinct cell subpopulations in different stages of CC. High-stage intraepithelial neoplasia (HSIL) tissue exhibited a low, recently activated TME, and it was characterized by high infiltration of tissue-resident CD8 T cell, effector NK cells, Treg, DC1, pDC, and M1-like macrophages. Tumor tissue displayed high enrichment of exhausted CD8 T cells, resident NK cells and M2-like macrophages, suggesting immunosuppressive TME. Metastatic lymph node consisted of naive T cell, central memory T cell, circling NK cells, cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and effector memory CD8 T cells, suggesting an early activated phase of immune response. This study is the first to delineate the transcriptome profile of immune cells during CC progression using single-cell RNA sequencing. Our results indicated that HSIL exhibited a low, recently activated TME, tumor displayed immunosuppressive statue, and metastatic lymph node showed early activated phase of immune response. Our study enhanced the understanding of dynamic change of TME during CC progression and has implications for the development of novel treatments to inhibit the initiation and progression of CC.