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TLR7/8/9 agonists and low-dose cisplatin synergistically promotes tertiary lymphatic structure formation and antitumor immunity
In situ vaccination (ISV) triggers antitumor immune responses using the patient’s own cancer antigens, yet limited neoantigen release hampers its efficacy. Our novel combination therapy involves low-dose local cisplatin followed by ISV with a TLR7/8/9 agonist formulation (CR108), in which CR108 boosts and sustains the antitumor responses induced by the cisplatin-released neoantigens. In mouse models, the cisplatin+CR108 combination significantly outperformed cisplatin or CR108 alone in abrogating established 4T1 and B16 tumors. The synergistic antitumor effects of cisplatin and CR108 were accompanied by markedly increased tumor tertiary lymphatic structures (TLS) formation, higher levels of type I and III interferons and TNF-α in serum, augmented T and B lymphocyte infiltration, antigen-presenting cell activation, as well as reduced functionally of exhausted T cells. Single-cell sequencing analysis uncovered a potential pathway for TLS to serve as a reservoir for functional antitumor effector T cells. Furthermore, cisplatin+CR108 combo therapy, but neither cisplatin nor CR108 alone, effectively inhibited the growth of treated 4T-1 tumor in an effector T cell-dependent manner. Notably, the combo therapy also suppressed the growth of distant untreated 4T-1 tumors, demonstrating systemic antitumor effects. Moreover, combo-therapy led to full regression of 4T-1 tumors in a large percentage of mice, who became strongly resistant to secondary tumor challenge, a clear indication of antitumor immunological memory. The cisplatin+CR108 combo therapy holds promise in converting “cold” tumors into “hot” ones and eliciting robust antitumor immune responses in vivo.
Crosstalk between gut microbiotas and fatty acid metabolism in colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy globally and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Its development is a multifactorial and multistage process influenced by a dynamic interplay between gut microbiota, environmental factors, and fatty acid metabolism. Dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota and abnormalities in microbiota-associated metabolites have been implicated in colorectal carcinogenesis, highlighting the pivotal role of microbial and metabolic interactions. Fatty acid metabolism serves as a critical nexus linking dietary patterns with gut microbial activity, significantly impacting intestinal health. In CRC patients, reduced levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and SCFA-producing bacteria have been consistently observed. Supplementation with SCFA-producing probiotics has demonstrated tumor-suppressive effects, while therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating SCFA levels have shown potential in enhancing the efficacy of radiation therapy and immunotherapy in both preclinical and clinical settings. This review explores the intricate relationship between gut microbiota, fatty acid metabolism, and CRC, offering insights into the underlying mechanisms and their potential translational applications. Understanding this interplay could pave the way for novel diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive strategies in the management of CRC.
Implantation of engineered adipocytes suppresses tumor progression in cancer models
Tumors exhibit an increased ability to obtain and metabolize nutrients. Here, we implant engineered adipocytes that outcompete tumors for nutrients and show that they can substantially reduce cancer progression, a technology termed adipose manipulation transplantation (AMT). Adipocytes engineered to use increased amounts of glucose and fatty acids by upregulating UCP1 were placed alongside cancer cells or xenografts, leading to significant cancer suppression. Transplanting modulated adipose organoids in pancreatic or breast cancer genetic mouse models suppressed their growth and decreased angiogenesis and hypoxia. Co-culturing patient-derived engineered adipocytes with tumor organoids from dissected human breast cancers significantly suppressed cancer progression and proliferation. In addition, cancer growth was impaired by inducing engineered adipose organoids to outcompete tumors using tetracycline or placing them in an integrated cell-scaffold delivery platform and implanting them next to the tumor. Finally, we show that upregulating UPP1 in adipose organoids can outcompete a uridine-dependent pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma for uridine and suppress its growth, demonstrating the potential customization of AMT.
MicroRNA-379-5p attenuates cancer stem cells and reduces cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer by regulating RAD18/Polη axis
Ovarian cancer (OC) is an aggressive malignancy of the female reproductive organs, associated with a low 5-year survival rate. Emerging evidence suggests the pivotal role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in regulating chemoresistance and metastasis in OC, primarily through cancer stem cells (CSCs), also known as cancer stem-like cells (CSLCs). Herein, we demonstrate that miR-379-5p is downregulated in several OC cell populations including both cell lines and patient tumor samples. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-379-5p effectively inhibits CSCs and counteracts cisplatin-induced expansion of CSCs. Further mechanistic investigations identify RAD18, a DNA repair protein involved in translesion DNA synthesis (TLS), as a direct target of miR-379-5p. Moreover, a negative correlation between miR-379-5p and RAD18 expression is observed in ovarian CSCs isolated from OC patients. The downregulation of RAD18 inhibits stem-like phenotypes and enhances the sensitivity of ovarian CSCs to cisplatin treatment. Importantly, miR-379-5p-mediated inhibition of RAD18 prevents the repair synthesis in CSCs by promoting the accumulation of DNA damage. In vivo studies further reveal that miR-379-5p enhances DNA damage, which, in turn, inhibits tumor cell proliferation in athymic nude mice. Remarkably, targeting of RAD18 by miR-379-5p prevents monoubiquitination of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), resulting in reduced DNA Polymerase η (a TLS polymerase that helps to bypass DNA lesions) recruitment to lesion sites. In the absence of Polη, the persisting DNA lesions cause activation of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis pathway in CSCs. Therefore, our findings unveil a novel mechanism whereby miR-379-5p overexpression curtails CSCs by modulating the RAD18/Polη axis.
Prediction of oxidation resistance of Ti-V-Cr burn resistant titanium alloy based on machine learning
A machine learning model was developed to predict the oxidation resistance of Ti-V-Cr burn-resistant titanium alloy, and the natural logarithm of the parabolic oxidation rate constant (lnkp) was utilized as the model output. The results show that the two algorithms based on multiple learners, gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), show better performance. The coefficient of determination R2 of the models are 0.98 and the maximum error is 6.57 and 6.40%, respectively. The importance and interpretability of the input features were analyzed. The trend of the model analysis results was the same as that of the experimental conclusions, which further revealed the mechanism of the influence of element content and temperature changes on the oxidation resistance of Ti-V-Cr alloys and verified the effectiveness of the model. This study is of great significance for the discovery, prediction, and quantification of new high-temperature oxidation-resistant Ti-V-Cr alloys.
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