Project description:BRD4 is an epigenetic reader protein that regulates oncogenes such as myc in cancer. However, its additional role in shaping immune responses via regulation of inflammatory and myeloid cell responses is not yet fully understood. This work further characterized the multifaceted role of BRD4 in anti-tumor immunity. NanoString gene expression analysis of EMT6 tumors treated with a BRD4 inhibitor identified a reduction in myeloid gene expression signatures. Additionally, BRD4 inhibition significantly reduced myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) in the spleens and tumors of mice in multiple tumor models and also decreased the release of tumor-derived MDSC growth and chemotactic factors. Pharmacologic inhibition of BRD4 in MDSC induced apoptosis and modulated expression of apoptosis regulatory proteins. A BRD4-myeloid specific knockout model suggested that the dominant mechanism of MDSC reduction after BRD4 inhibition was primarily through a direct effect on MDSC. BRD4 inhibition enhanced anti-PD-L1 therapy in the EMT6, 4T1 and LLC tumor models, and the efficacy of the combination treatment was dependent on CD8+ T cells and on BRD4 expression in the myeloid compartment. These results identify BRD4 as a regulator of MDSC survival and provide evidence to further investigate BRD4 inhibitors in combination with immune based therapies.
Project description:Despite the curative potential of checkpoint blockade immunotherapy, most patients remain unresponsive to existing treatments. Glyco-immune checkpoints – interactions of cell-surface glycans with lectin, or glycan-binding, immunoreceptors – have emerged as prominent mechanisms of immune evasion and therapeutic resistance in cancer. Here, we describe antibody-lectin chimeras (AbLecs), a modular platform for glyco-immune checkpoint blockade. AbLecs are bispecific antibody-like molecules comprising a cell-targeting antibody domain and a lectin “decoy receptor” domain that directly binds glycans and blocks their ability to engage inhibitory lectin receptors. AbLecs potentiate anticancer immune responses including phagocytosis and cytotoxicity, outperforming most existing therapies and combinations tested. By targeting a distinct axis of immunological regulation, AbLecs synergize with blockade of established immune checkpoints. AbLecs can be readily designed to target numerous tumor and immune cell subsets as well as glyco-immune checkpoints, and therefore represent a new modality for cancer immunotherapy.
Project description:Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes essential machinery for respiration and metabolic homeostasis but is paradoxically among the most common targets of somatic mutations in the cancer genome, with truncating mutations in complex I genes being over-represented1 . While mtDNA mutations have been associated with both improved and worsened prognoses in several cancer lineages1–3, whether these mutations are drivers, or exert any functional effect on tumour biology remains controversial. Here we discover that complex I-encoding mtDNA mutations are sufficient to remodel the tumour immune landscape and therapeutic resistance to immune checkpoint blockade. Using mtDNA base editing technology we engineered recurrent truncating mutations in the mtDNA-encoded complex I gene, Mt-Nd5, into murine models of melanoma. Mechanistically, these mutations promoted utilisation of pyruvate as a terminal electron acceptor and increased glycolytic flux driven by an over-reduced NAD pool and NADH shuttling between GAPDH and MDH1, mediating a Warburg-like metabolic shift. In turn, without modifying tumour growth, this altered cancer cell-intrinsic metabolism reshaped the tumour microenvironment of mouse and human cancer in a mutation load-dependent fashion, encouraging an anti-tumour immune response. This subsequently sensitises both mouse and human cancers with high mtDNA mutant heteroplasmy to immune checkpoint blockade. Strikingly, patient lesions bearing >50% mtDNA mutation load demonstrated a >2.5-fold improved response rate to checkpoint inhibitor blockade. Taken together these data nominate mtDNA mutations as functional regulators of cancer metabolism and tumour biology, with potential for therapeutic exploitation and treatment stratification.
Project description:Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes essential machinery for respiration and metabolic homeostasis but is paradoxically among the most common targets of somatic mutations in the cancer genome, with truncating mutations in complex I genes being over-represented1 . While mtDNA mutations have been associated with both improved and worsened prognoses in several cancer lineages1–3, whether these mutations are drivers, or exert any functional effect on tumour biology remains controversial. Here we discover that complex I-encoding mtDNA mutations are sufficient to remodel the tumour immune landscape and therapeutic resistance to immune checkpoint blockade. Using mtDNA base editing technology we engineered recurrent truncating mutations in the mtDNA-encoded complex I gene, Mt-Nd5, into murine models of melanoma. Mechanistically, these mutations promoted utilisation of pyruvate as a terminal electron acceptor and increased glycolytic flux driven by an over-reduced NAD pool and NADH shuttling between GAPDH and MDH1, mediating a Warburg-like metabolic shift. In turn, without modifying tumour growth, this altered cancer cell-intrinsic metabolism reshaped the tumour microenvironment of mouse and human cancer in a mutation load-dependent fashion, encouraging an anti-tumour immune response. This subsequently sensitises both mouse and human cancers with high mtDNA mutant heteroplasmy to immune checkpoint blockade. Strikingly, patient lesions bearing >50% mtDNA mutation load demonstrated a >2.5-fold improved response rate to checkpoint inhibitor blockade. Taken together these data nominate mtDNA mutations as functional regulators of cancer metabolism and tumour biology, with potential for therapeutic exploitation and treatment stratification.
Project description:Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) playing the immune suppressive roles in tumor bearing host consists of two major subsets of granulocytic and monocytic cells. Granulocytic MDSC (G-MDSC) express CD11b+ Gr-1high Ly6G+ Ly6Clow and produce high level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Interestingly, neutrophils are well known ROS producing cells during immune defensive process and share same surface markers with G-MDSC. These similar features always brought the fundamental questions what’s the difference between G-MDSC and neutrophils but it’s not yet proven clearly. In this study, we examined the gene expression of G-MDSC and neutrophils using Affymetrix microarray G-MDSC (CD11b+Ly6G+Ly6Clow) were purifed from splenocytes in EL4 lymphoma tumor bearing mice by positive selection of Ly6G using microbeads isolation. Neutrophils were purified from ascitic fluids induced after injection of milk protein, casein by negative selection of F4/80 and positive selection of Ly6G using microbeads isolation. Their RNA was extracted and gene expression was analyzed using Affymetrix microarray.
Project description:Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) represent a heterogeneous population of immature myeloid cells that accumulate in blood, liver, spleen and tumors upon chronic inflammation and tumor development in patients and mice. Acute hepatitis is characterized by a fast infiltration of inflammatory cells in the liver and increased enzymatic activity at this organ that could lead into liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. We have studied the biology of hepatic MDSC in acute hepatitis. Unexpectedly, hepatic MDSC, which accumulate in the liver of mice bearing subcutaneous tumors, failed to suppress inflammatory responses upon Con A injection, but instead were responsible for exacerbating acute liver damage. Phenotypic, genetic and functional studies demonstrated rapid changes of hepatic MDSC from a suppressor phenotype into a pro-inflammatory subset as early as 3 hours after Con A injection. An increase in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, costimulatory molecules such as CD80, CD86 and CD40 along with a loss of suppressor function was noticed in mice upon Con A treatment. These changes were CD40-dependent and not found in CD40-/- MDSC. Interestingly, CD40 ligation of human MDSC in vitro resulted in down-regulation of arginase I expression and suppressor function. Finally, blockade of ROS production in hepatic MDSC ameliorated hepatocyte damage suggesting that MDSC mediated toxicity was ROS dependent. We believe that these findings reflect how MDSC plasticity can be modulated to promote inflammation, opening a new path for therapies targeting innate suppressive cells in cancer patients. EL4 tumors were established in C57BL/6 mice, then mice were injected either with PBS (n=3) or 12.5mg/kg Con A (n=3). Three hours later mice were sacrificed, liver CD11b+Gr-1+ cells were sorted and samples were processed for gene expression analysis.
Project description:Background: Checkpoint blockade immunotherapy represented by PD-1/PD-L1 or CTLA4 antibody treatment, has been of tremendous success for multiple cancers. Most patients with prostate cancer (PCa) either do not respond to CTLA4 immune checkpoint blockade or develop resistance to it, often because of low CTLA4 antigen presentation in cancer cells.
Project description:The mitochondrial genome encodes essential machinery for respiration and metabolic homeostasis but is paradoxically among the most common targets of somatic mutation in the cancer genome, with truncating mutations in respiratory complex I genes being most over-represented1. While mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations have been associated with both improved and worsened prognoses in several tumour lineages, whether these mutations are drivers or exert any functional effect on tumour biology remains controversial. Here we discovered that complex I-encoding mtDNA mutations are sufficient to remodel the tumour immune landscape and therapeutic resistance to immune checkpoint blockade. Using mtDNA base editing technology we engineered recurrent truncating mutations in the mtDNA-encoded complex I gene, Mt-Nd5, into murine models of melanoma. Mechanistically, these mutations promoted utilisation of pyruvate as a terminal electron acceptor and increased glycolytic flux driven by an over-reduced NAD pool and NADH shuttling between GAPDH and MDH1, mediating a Warburg-like metabolic shift. In turn, without modifying tumour growth, this altered cancer cell-intrinsic metabolism reshaped the tumour microenvironment promoting an anti-tumour immune response characterised by loss of resident neutrophils. This subsequently sensitised tumours bearing high mtDNA mutant heteroplasmy to immune checkpoint blockade, with phenocopy of key metabolic changes being sufficient to mediate this effect. Strikingly, patient lesions bearing >50% mtDNA mutation heteroplasmy also demonstrated a >2.5-fold improved response rate to checkpoint inhibitor blockade. Taken together these data nominate mtDNA mutations as functional regulators of cancer metabolism and tumour biology, with potential for therapeutic exploitation and treatment stratification.
Project description:An improved understanding of the anti-tumor CD8+ T cell response after checkpoint blockade would enable more informed and effective therapeutic strategies. Here we examined the dynamics of the effector response of CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) after checkpoint blockade therapy. Bulk and single-cell RNA profiles of CD8+ TILs after combined Tim-3+PD-1 blockade in preclinical models revealed significant changes in the transcriptional profile of PD-1? TILs. These cells could be divided into subsets bearing characterstics of naive-, effector-, and memory-precursor-like cells. Effector- and memory-precursor-like TILs contained tumor-antigen-specific cells, exhibited proliferative and effector capacity, and expanded in response to different checkpoint blockade therapies across different tumor models. The memory-precursor-like subset shared features with CD8+ T cells associated with response to checkpoint blockade in patients and was compromised in the absence of Tcf7. Expression of Tcf7 was requisite for the efficacy of diverse immunotherapies, highlighting the importance of this transcriptional regulator in the development of effective CD8+ T cell responses upon immunotherapy.