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| Open AccessSystematic investigation of chemo-immunotherapy synergism to shift anti-PD-1 resistance in cancer
The design of new combinatorial regimens represents an opportunity to improve response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with cancer. Here the authors computationally model the interaction between chemotherapy and immunotherapy by studying treatment-induced expression changes associated with response to anti-PD-1, identifying chemotherapeutic drugs or small molecule inhibitors that can overcome resistance to anti-PD-1.
- Yue Wang
- , Dhamotharan Pattarayan
- & Da Yang
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Article
| Open AccessSemaphorin 3A causes immune suppression by inducing cytoskeletal paralysis in tumour-specific CD8+ T cells
Interactions between Semaphorin-3A (SEMA3A) and Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) and Plexin-A1 and Plexin-A4 have been shown to affect T cell development. Here the authors investigate how these interactions affect CD8+ T cells in tumour immunity, showing that NRP-1, Plexin-A1 and Plexin-A4 are upregulated on T cells allowing tumour derived SEMA3A to inhibit CD8+ T cell migration and function.
- Mike B. Barnkob
- , Yale S. Michaels
- & Vincenzo Cerundolo
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Article
| Open AccessMolecular patterns of resistance to immune checkpoint blockade in melanoma
A large fraction of patients with melanoma still does not benefit from immune checkpoint blockade, associated with both primary and acquired resistance. Here the authors report genetic and immunological patterns of resistance in patients with melanoma after progression on anti-CTLA4 or anti-PD1 monotherapy.
- Martin Lauss
- , Bengt Phung
- & Göran Jönsson
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Article
| Open AccessTargeting branched N-glycans and fucosylation sensitizes ovarian tumors to immune checkpoint blockade
Cancer cells can employ aberrant glycosylation patterns to evade the host immune response. Here the authors report that inhibition of branched N-glycans sensitizes homologous recombination (HR)-proficient, but not HR-deficient, epithelial ovarian cancer to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
- Hao Nie
- , Pratima Saini
- & Rugang Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessObesity-related T cell dysfunction impairs immunosurveillance and increases cancer risk
Obesity represents a risk factor for cancer and compromises immune function, however the mechanisms linking the two together are not fully known. Here authors show in a mouse sarcoma model that obesity increases tumour incidence, impairs intra-tumoral T cell immunity but paradoxically increases sensitivity to immune therapy via impairing immunoediting.
- Alexander Piening
- , Emily Ebert
- & Ryan M. Teague
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Article
| Open AccessCholesterol-binding motifs in STING that control endoplasmic reticulum retention mediate anti-tumoral activity of cholesterol-lowering compounds
Cholesterol lowering medication positively affects anti-cancer immune response, but the underpinning mechanism is not fully known. Here authors show that the effect is mediated by specific cholesterol binding motifs in STING, a key mediator of inflammation, via regulating its trafficking to Golgi.
- Bao-cun Zhang
- , Marlene F. Laursen
- & Martin R. Jakobsen
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Article
| Open AccessCancer cell genetics shaping of the tumor microenvironment reveals myeloid cell-centric exploitable vulnerabilities in hepatocellular carcinoma
Distinct genetic mutations can shape the tumor immune microenvironment. Here the authors generate preclinical mouse models of hepatocellular carcinoma bearing clinically-relevant oncogenic driver combinations, identifying myeloid cell-centric exploitable therapeutic vulnerabilities.
- Christel F. A. Ramirez
- , Daniel Taranto
- & Leila Akkari
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Article
| Open AccessMultipeptide vaccines for melanoma in the adjuvant setting: long-term survival outcomes and post-hoc analysis of a randomized phase II trial
Peptide-based cancer vaccines require epitopes for both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Here the authors report the long-term outcomes of a randomized phase II trial (NCT00118274) in patients with melanoma designed to evaluate a class I MHC-restricted peptide vaccine plus one of two “helper” peptide preparations to stimulate CD4+ T cells, either non-specific help or melanoma-specific help.
- Emily K. Ninmer
- , Hong Zhu
- & Craig L. Slingluff Jr
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Article
| Open AccessBET inhibitors drive Natural Killer activation in non-small cell lung cancer via BRD4 and SMAD3
Combination of BET inhibitors (BETi) with immunotherapy has been reported to be synergic for the treatment of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Here, the authors show that BETi-induced epigenetic reprogramming downregulates the expression of NK cell inhibitory receptors on NK cells, increasing their activation and cytotoxicity against NSCLC.
- Francesca Reggiani
- , Giovanna Talarico
- & Valentina Sancisi
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Article
| Open AccessTertiary lymphoid structures and B cells determine clinically relevant T cell phenotypes in ovarian cancer
Intratumoral tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) density has been associated with better prognosis in several cancer types. Here the authors provide a comprehensive characterization of TLSs in patients with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma.
- Lenka Kasikova
- , Jana Rakova
- & Jitka Fucikova
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Article
| Open AccessReciprocal inhibition between TP63 and STAT1 regulates anti-tumor immune response through interferon-γ signaling in squamous cancer
TP63 is a master regulator transcription factor in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Here the authors report that TP63 suppresses IFNγ signaling in SCC tumors and that its inhibition is associated with enhanced anti-tumor immunity and response to anti-PD1.
- Yuan Jiang
- , Yueyuan Zheng
- & Yan-Yi Jiang
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Article
| Open AccessMetabolic targeting of cancer associated fibroblasts overcomes T-cell exclusion and chemoresistance in soft-tissue sarcomas
Cancer associated fibroblasts can shape the tumor microenvironment (TME) and modulate immune infiltration. Here the authors characterize the TME in preclinical models of softtissue sarcomas, identifying a subset of “glycolytic” cancer-associated fibroblasts that inhibit cytotoxic T cell infiltration into the tumor parenchyma.
- Marina T. Broz
- , Emily Y. Ko
- & Jlenia Guarnerio
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Article
| Open AccessSenescence drives immunotherapy resistance by inducing an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment
Recent evidence suggests that senescence can negatively affect immune cell function. Here the authors show that accumulation of senescent cells in tumor-bearing mice previously exposed to irradiation or chemotherapy is associated with resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors, associated with an exacerbated immunosuppressive profile of tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells.
- Damien Maggiorani
- , Oanh Le
- & Christian Beauséjour
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Article
| Open AccessImmunopeptidomics-based identification of naturally presented non-canonical circRNA-derived peptides
Abnormally expressed circular RNAs (circRNAs) represent an unexplored source of tumor-specific antigens in cancer. Here, the authors developed an immunopeptidomics workflow to identify human leukocyte antigen bound peptides specifically derived from the potential translation of these transcripts.
- Humberto J. Ferreira
- , Brian J. Stevenson
- & Michal Bassani-Sternberg
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Article
| Open AccessDendritic cell-targeted therapy expands CD8 T cell responses to bona-fide neoantigens in lung tumors
Response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains suboptimal, even for tumors with elevated tumor mutational burden. Here the authors generate a model of NSCLC with enhanced mutational load, showing that, while still resistant to ICIs, hypermutated tumors become sensitive to dendritic cell-targeted therapy.
- Lucía López
- , Luciano Gastón Morosi
- & Federica Benvenuti
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Article
| Open AccessMitochondrial metabolism sustains CD8+ T cell migration for an efficient infiltration into solid tumors
The migration of T cells into tumours and how this is regulated by metabolic pathways is not completely understood. Here the authors use human and xenograft mouse models to explore the functional changes in T cells during migration in tumours and how glycolytic and TCA cycle metabolism is involved.
- Luca Simula
- , Mattia Fumagalli
- & Emmanuel Donnadieu
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Article
| Open AccessMi-2β promotes immune evasion in melanoma by activating EZH2 methylation
Mi-2β is an enzyme of the chromodomain helicase DNA family with roles in chromatin assembly, genomic stability and gene repression. Here the authors report that Mi-2β promotes immune evasion by activating EZH2 methylation and that loss of Mi-2β or its inhibition promote anti-tumor immune responses in preclinical melanoma models.
- Cang Li
- , Zhengyu Wang
- & Rutao Cui
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Article
| Open AccessSpatially-resolved transcriptomics reveal macrophage heterogeneity and prognostic significance in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Macrophages are abundant in the microenvironment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Here, the authors use spatial transcriptomics to characterize macrophages in DLBCL and reactive lymphoid tissues, and propose six spatially-derived macrophage signatures that are associated with features like cell of origin and clinical outcomes.
- Min Liu
- , Giorgio Bertolazzi
- & Anand D. Jeyasekharan
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Article
| Open AccessStructural basis for self-discrimination by neoantigen-specific TCRs
Neoantigen-specific T cells recognise neoantigen-MHC complexes on target tumour cells. Here, the authors describe a molecular mechanism by which the neoantigen Hsf2 p.K72N is recognised by a corresponding high affinity Hsf2 p.K72N-reactive T cell receptor, 47BE7, from the mouse melanoma line B16F10.
- John P. Finnigan
- , Jenna H. Newman
- & Nina Bhardwaj
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Article
| Open AccessComparative transcriptomics coupled to developmental grading via transgenic zebrafish reporter strains identifies conserved features in neutrophil maturation
Maturation of innate immune cells is a graded stereotypic process which is often conserved across species. Here authors label distinct neutrophil leukocyte developmental stages via generating combinations of transgenic zebrafish reporter strains, followed by transcriptome analysis of different neutrophil maturation stages and comparison to the gene expression profile of developing neutrophils from humans and mice.
- Stefanie Kirchberger
- , Mohamed R. Shoeb
- & Martin Distel
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Article
| Open AccessThe ATR inhibitor ceralasertib potentiates cancer checkpoint immunotherapy by regulating the tumor microenvironment
The ATR inhibitor ceralasertib has shown clinical activity in combination with immune-checkpoint inhibitors in several cancer types. Here the authors report the anti-tumor activity and the immunomodulatory changes, dependent on up-regulation of type I interferon pathway, following intermittent ATR inhibition in preclinical cancer models.
- Elizabeth L. Hardaker
- , Emilio Sanseviero
- & Simon T. Barry
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Article
| Open AccessTumor histoculture captures the dynamic interactions between tumor and immune components in response to anti-PD1 in head and neck cancer
Tumor histocultures have been exploited as tools to predict response to cancer therapy. Here the authors report the development and testing of a tumor histoculture platform to study response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
- Nandini Pal Basak
- , Kowshik Jaganathan
- & Satish Sankaran
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Article
| Open AccessPlasticity-induced repression of Irf6 underlies acquired resistance to cancer immunotherapy in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Acquired resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors represents an important clinical challenge. Here, in a pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma model of acquired resistance to immunotherapy, the authors show that plasticity-induced repression of Irf6 is associated with tumor cell-intrinsic resistance to cytotoxic T-cell activity.
- Il-Kyu Kim
- , Mark S. Diamond
- & Ben Z. Stanger
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Article
| Open AccessProteomic characterization identifies clinically relevant subgroups of soft tissue sarcoma
The molecular characterisation of soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) across diverse populations remains crucial. Here, the authors perform a proteomics and phosphoproteomics analysis of 272 Chinese STS patients across 12 subtypes, and obtain insights related to progression, metastasis, and immune signatures.
- Shaoshuai Tang
- , Yunzhi Wang
- & Chen Ding
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Article
| Open AccessTumor reactive γδ T cells contribute to a complete response to PD-1 blockade in a Merkel cell carcinoma patient
Immune checkpoint blockade cancer therapy has been designed to enable tumor killing by conventional αβ T cells. Here authors show that in a Merkel cell carcinoma patient showing complete response to anti-PD-1 treatment, innate-like γδ T cells that specifically recognize the tumor cells expand, and likely contribute to therapeutic success.
- Scott C. Lien
- , Dalam Ly
- & Pamela S. Ohashi
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Article
| Open AccessHeat shock protein gp96 drives natural killer cell maturation and anti-tumor immunity by counteracting Trim28 to stabilize Eomes
Natural killer (NK) cell maturation and function are regulated by multiple transcription factors (TF), but detailed molecular insights are scarce. Here the authors show that a TF, Eomes, is important for NK cell responses and cancer surveillance, in which Eomes expression is regulated by gp96 and Trim28 via the ubiquitination and degradation pathways.
- Yuxiu Xu
- , Xin Li
- & Songdong Meng
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Article
| Open AccessLeukaemia exposure alters the transcriptional profile and function of BCR::ABL1 negative macrophages in the bone marrow niche
The function of macrophages in myeloid leukaemia can be difficult to assess because of lack of differentiation between transformed and non-transformed cells. Here the authors use a chimeric mouse model to characterise the effect of myeloid leukaemia on bystander macrophages noting altered functional properties of these cells.
- Amy Dawson
- , Martha M. Zarou
- & G. Vignir Helgason
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Article
| Open AccessTargeting ALK averts ribonuclease 1-induced immunosuppression and enhances antitumor immunity in hepatocellular carcinoma
Immune checkpoint inhibitors have now been approved for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however only a minority of patients appear to benefit. Here the authors report that RNase1 levels predict response to nivolumab (anti-PD1) in patients with HCC and that RNase 1 overexpression correlates with an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in HCC preclinical models.
- Chunxiao Liu
- , Chenhao Zhou
- & Mien-Chie Hung
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Article
| Open AccessNeutral ceramidase regulates breast cancer progression by metabolic programming of TREM2-associated macrophages
Ceramide, a central molecule in sphingolipid metabolism, has been shown to affect the development and functionality of myeloid cells. Here the authors report that myeloid deficiency of neutral ceramidase (NcDase), the enzyme converting ceramide into sphingosine, induces an immunosuppressive phenotype of tumor associated macrophages, linked to T cell exhaustion in breast cancer preclinical models.
- Rui Sun
- , Chao Lei
- & Zhongbin Deng
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Article
| Open AccessNon-invasive transdermal delivery of biomacromolecules with fluorocarbon-modified chitosan for melanoma immunotherapy and viral vaccines
Different approaches have been described for the transdermal delivery of drugs. Here the authors report the design of a fluorocarbon modified chitosan-based non-invasive transdermal platform for the delivery of biomacromolecules, such as viral antigens for vaccines or immune checkpoint inhibitors for melanoma immunotherapy.
- Wenjun Zhu
- , Ting Wei
- & Zhuang Liu
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Article
| Open AccessMHC-I upregulation safeguards neoplastic T cells in the skin against NK cell-mediated eradication in mycosis fungoides
Defective immune responses have been reported in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Here the authors show that in patients with mycosis fungoides, the most common CTCL, malignant T cells upregulate MHC-I as a mechanism to evade NK-mediated immunity.
- Yun-Tsan Chang
- , Pacôme Prompsy
- & Emmanuella Guenova
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Article
| Open AccessTumour-retained activated CCR7+ dendritic cells are heterogeneous and regulate local anti-tumour cytolytic activity
Recognition of tumour antigen induces dendritic cell activation and migration to the lymph node. Here, the authors use photoconvertible mice to demonstrate that some activated dendritic cells are retained in tumours and gradually lose function, but their ability to support local anti-tumour responses can be augmented by anti-PD-L1 blockade.
- Colin Y. C. Lee
- , Bethany C. Kennedy
- & Menna R. Clatworthy
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Article
| Open AccessMARS an improved de novo peptide candidate selection method for non-canonical antigen target discovery in cancer
Detection of neoepitopes from tumours is time consuming and requires the integration of genomic and/or RNA sequencing expression data. Here, the authors propose a machine learning method to enable direct identification of additional, tumour-specific sequences using mass spectrometry through integration of de novo peptide sequencing scores, MHC class I binding prediction, and peptide retention time prediction.
- Hanqing Liao
- , Carolina Barra
- & Nicola Ternette
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Article
| Open AccessCell state dependent effects of Bmal1 on melanoma immunity and tumorigenicity
It has been reported that the circadian clock regulator Bmal1 can modulate tumorigenesis. Here the authors show that ectopic expression of Bmal1 promotes an immune resistant mesenchymal melanoma cell state associated with increased AP-1 activity.
- Xue Zhang
- , Shishir M. Pant
- & Chi V. Dang
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Article
| Open AccessMacro CD5L+ deteriorates CD8+T cells exhaustion and impairs combination of Gemcitabine-Oxaliplatin-Lenvatinib-anti-PD1 therapy in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
The role of the tumor microenvironment in immunotherapy response in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma remains unclear. Here, single cell RNA and TCR sequencing of samples before and after immunotherapy highlights the role of CD8 T-cell status conversion and exhaustion induced by Macro CD5L+ in treatment response.
- Jia-Cheng Lu
- , Lei-Lei Wu
- & Jia Fan
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Article
| Open AccessEpigenetic reprogramming shapes the cellular landscape of schwannoma
Schwannomas are regularly treated with radiotherapy, but the molecular effects on these tumours and their microenvironment remain unclear. Here, the authors show that radiotherapy can induce epigenetic reprogramming and immune infiltration in schwannomas, and develop the snARC-seq approach to analyse the epigenomic evolution at the single-cell level.
- S. John Liu
- , Tim Casey-Clyde
- & David R. Raleigh
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Article
| Open AccessMutant KRAS-activated circATXN7 fosters tumor immunoescape by sensitizing tumor-specific T cells to activation-induced cell death
Oncogenic KRAS mutations can dictate the formation of an immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment. Here the authors report that, in KRAS mutant colorectal cancer, the upregulation of circATXN7 in tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes is associated with increased sensitivity to activation-induced cell death and resistance to immunotherapy.”
- Chi Zhou
- , Wenxin Li
- & Huashan Liu
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Article
| Open AccessInhibition of iRhom1 by CD44-targeting nanocarrier for improved cancer immunochemotherapy
A pro-tumorigenic role of iRhom1 has been described in several cancer types. Here the authors show that iRhom1 regulates sensitivity to chemotherapy and immune response, as well they report that CD44 targeting nanoparticle-mediated co-delivery of iRhom1 pre-siRNA promotes anti-tumor immune responses in preclinical cancer models.
- Zhangyi Luo
- , Yixian Huang
- & Song Li
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Article
| Open AccessIL-12 reprograms CAR-expressing natural killer T cells to long-lived Th1-polarized cells with potent antitumor activity
Human natural killer T (NKT) cells have been proposed as a cellular platform for CAR engineering. Here the authors report that IL-12 engineering reprograms CAR-expressing NKT cells to long-lived Th1-polarized cells with potent anti-tumor activity in leukemia and neuroblastoma preclinical models.
- Elisa Landoni
- , Mark G. Woodcock
- & Gianpietro Dotti
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Article
| Open AccessPharmaceutical targeting of OTUB2 sensitizes tumors to cytotoxic T cells via degradation of PD-L1
PD-L1 expression on the surface of cancer cells is believed to contribute to tumor immune evasion via triggering the inhibitory T cell co-receptor, PD-1, resulting in decreased T cell cytotoxicity. Here authors show that OTUB2 regulates PD-L1 expression via inhibition of its ubiquitin-mediated degradation, and that OTUB2 inhibition increases T cell cytotoxicity directed against tumors.
- Wenfeng Ren
- , Zilong Xu
- & Ningshao Xia
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Article
| Open AccessFOXP3+ regulatory T cell perturbation mediated by the IFNγ-STAT1-IFITM3 feedback loop is essential for anti-tumor immunity
Modulation of regulatory T cells (Treg) in the tumour environment is a potential avenue to bolster anti-tumor immunity. Here Liu et al show that perturbation of the negative feedback loop involving STAT1- IFITM3 influences anti-tumor immunity, and that IFITM3 or STAT1 deficiency resulting in the fragility of tumor-infiltrating Treg cells.
- Xinnan Liu
- , Weiqi Zhang
- & Bin Li
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Article
| Open AccessItaconate promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by epigenetic induction of CD8+ T-cell exhaustion
Itaconate is an immunomodulatory metabolite that has been reported to regulate tumorigenesis. Here, the authors show that macrophage-derived itaconate induces epigenetic-mediated CD8+ T cell exhaustion, promoting hepatocellular carcinoma development.
- Xuemei Gu
- , Haoran Wei
- & Ping Gao
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Article
| Open AccessLow-dose radiotherapy combined with dual PD-L1 and VEGFA blockade elicits antitumor response in hepatocellular carcinoma mediated by activated intratumoral CD8+ exhausted-like T cells
An increasing number of preclinical and clinical studies have investigated the antitumor efficacy of combined radiotherapy and immunotherapy. Here the authors report that low-dose radiotherapy enhances the antitumor effect of dual VEGFA and PD-L1 blockade in preclinical models of hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Siqi Li
- , Kun Li
- & Yang Yang
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Article
| Open AccessID1 expressing macrophages support cancer cell stemness and limit CD8+ T cell infiltration in colorectal cancer
Inhibitor of differentiation 1 (ID1) has been described as a cancer-promoting factor and also involved in the formation of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Here the authors report that ID1-expressing tumor associated macrophages favor colorectal cancer progression by promoting cancer cell stemness and CD8+ T cell exclusion.
- Shuang Shang
- , Chen Yang
- & Fang Hua
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Article
| Open AccessA distinct topology of BTN3A IgV and B30.2 domains controlled by juxtamembrane regions favors optimal human γδ T cell phosphoantigen sensing
γδ T cells are known to recognize phosphoantigen in the context of butyrophilins (BTN), yet the molecular rules underlying this phenomenon are unclear. Here, the authors demonstrate that a distinct topology of B30.2 and IgV domains within BTN3A complexes promotes antigen sensing and that the juxtamembrane region controls BTN complex formation.
- Mohindar M. Karunakaran
- , Hariharan Subramanian
- & Thomas Herrmann
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Article
| Open AccessGut microbial structural variation associates with immune checkpoint inhibitor response
Here, using datasets from the gut microbiome of 996 patients from seven clinical trials, the authors characterize gut microbial genomic structural variants, located in species such as Akkermansia muciniphila, Dorea formicigenerans, and Bacteroides caccae, that associate with hosts’ response and survival after immune checkpoint inhibitors treatment.
- Rong Liu
- , You Zou
- & Dao-Ming Wang
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Article
| Open AccessNanomedicine-based co-delivery of a calcium channel inhibitor and a small molecule targeting CD47 for lung cancer immunotherapy
Lung cancer is characterized by an immunosuppressive microenvironment, limiting responses to immunotherapies. Here the authors report the design of a pH-responsive nanomedicine for the co-delivery of a T-type calcium channel inhibitor and of a small molecule targeting CD47, promoting anti-tumor immune responses in orthotopic lung cancer preclinical models.
- Yuedong Guo
- , Qunqun Bao
- & Jianlin Shi
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Article
| Open AccessUnlocking the potential of allogeneic Vδ2 T cells for ovarian cancer therapy through CD16 biomarker selection and CAR/IL-15 engineering
Vγ9Vδ2 (Vδ2) T cells have been proposed as cell carriers for off-the-shelf CAR therapies. Here the authors describe CD16 as a biomarker for the selection of Vδ2 T cells with high levels of cytotoxicity and report the anti-tumor activity of engineered CD16high Vδ2 T cells in ovarian cancer preclinical models.
- Derek Lee
- , Zachary Spencer Dunn
- & Lili Yang
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Article
| Open AccessImmuno-metabolic dendritic cell vaccine signatures associate with overall survival in vaccinated melanoma patients
Efficacy of dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines remains unsatisfactory. Here the authors analyse the transcriptomic and immune-metabolic profiles of DCs from patients enrolled in a DC vaccine trial in late-stage melanoma, suggesting that the metabolic profile of DC is associated with the immunostimulatory potential of the cancer vaccine.
- Juraj Adamik
- , Paul V. Munson
- & Lisa H. Butterfield