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Abstract Lower lip squamous cell carcinomas (LLSCC) could be associated with a previous history of potentially malignant oral diseases (PMOD), especially actinic cheilitis (AC), with high sun exposure being a well-described risk factor. Immune evasion mechanisms, such as the PD-1/PD-L1 (programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death-ligand 1) pathway has been gaining prominence since immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors showed a positive effect on the survival of patients with different types of neoplasms. Concomitant with the characterization of the tumor microenvironment, the expression of either or both PD-1 and PD-L1 molecules may estimate mutual relations of progression or regression of the carcinoma and prognostic values of the patient. Objective: Considering the importance of tumor microenvironment characterization, this study aims to determine the immunoexpression of PD-L1 and correlate with the frequency of CD4+ and CD8+ cells in AC and LLSCC lesions and with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in LLSCC and its relationship with histopathological characteristics. Methodology: This sample includes 33 cases of AC and 17 cases of LLSCC. The cases were submitted to histopathological analysis and to CD4+, CD8+, and PD-L1+ cell determination by immunohistochemistry. Results: There was a significant difference among the frequencies of CD4+, CD8+, and PD-L1+ cells between AC and LSCC cases, higher in the last group. Moreover, histopathological and atypical changes in AC and LLSCC were correlated with the frequencies of PD-L1+, CD4+, and CD8+ cells. In AC, PD-L1+ cases had a low frequency of CD4+ cells, but on the other hand, PD-L1+ cases of LLSCC had a higher frequency of CD4+ and CD8+ cells. Conclusion: Therefore, the PD-L1 molecule may be a potential escape route for the immune response in oral lesions, but the mechanisms differ between AC and LLSCC. Future studies related to immune evasion and immunotherapy in oral lesions should consider the analysis of inflammatory infiltrate and TILs.
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Objective:To explore the correlation between SAM domain and HD domain-containing protein 1 (SAMHD1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in lung adenocarcinoma.Methods:The expression of SAMHD1 in lung adenocarcinoma and its effect on prognosis were analyzed by online database GEPIA and Kaplan-Meier Plotter. The expression of SAMHD1 in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and Western blotting. SAMHD1 gene was silenced in H1975, H1299 and LLC cells by small interfering RNA transfection and lentivirus infection, respectively. The mRNA and protein expression levels of PD-L1 in lung adenocarcinoma cells of control group, siSAMHD1-1 group and siSAMHD1-2 group were detected by qPCR and Western blotting. The membrane PD-L1 level was detected by flow cytometry. A mouse lung adenocarcinoma xenograft model was constructed. The PD-L1 levels in the tumor tissues of control group and shSAMHD1 group were detected by immunohistochemistry. Cell proliferation activities of the control, siSAMHD1-1 and siSAMHD1-2 groups were detected by CCK-8 assays.Results:The GEPIA database results showed that the mRNA expression of SAMHD1 in lung adenocarcinoma was lower than that in normal lung tissue (4.81±0.90 vs. 5.99±0.76, t=20.67, P<0.001) . The median overall survival time of patients with high SAMHD1 expression was significantly longer than that of patients with low SAMHD1 expression (109.0 months vs. 87.7 months, χ2=26.83, P=0.002) . The relative mRNA expression levels of SAMHD1 in A549, PC9, H1299 and H1975 cells were 1.00±0.02, 0.75±0.05, 3.49±0.19 and 7.25±0.38 ( F=589.00, P<0.001) , and the relative protein expression levels were 1.00±0.06, 0.34±0.07, 1.67±0.22 and 2.11±0.63 ( F=15.79, P=0.001) . In H1975 cells, the relative mRNA levels of PD-L1 in the control, siSAMHD1-1 and siSAMHD1-2 groups were 1.00±0.00, 1.54±0.26 and 2.89±0.13 ( F=102.30, P<0.001) , and the relative protein expression levels were 1.00±0.01, 1.50±0.10 and 1.52±0.33 ( F=6.65, P=0.030) . In H1299 cells, the relative mRNA levels of PD-L1 in the three groups were 1.00±0.08, 1.63±0.03 and 2.14±0.03 ( F=368.80, P<0.001) , and the relative protein levels of PD-L1 were 1.00±0.07, 1.88±0.35 and 2.05±0.38 ( F=10.66, P=0.011) . The expression level of PD-L1 in the siSAMHD1-1 and siSAMHD1-2 groups was higher than that in the control group (all P<0.05) . Flow cytometry results showed that in H1975 cells, the fluorescence intensity of membrane PD-L1 in the control, siSAMHD1-1 and siSAMHD1-2 groups were 246.83±27.59, 325.60±8.00 and 308.93±7.60 ( F=17.56, P=0.003) , and in H1299 cells, the fluorescence intensity of membrane PD-L1 in the three groups were 959.00±6.25, 1 084.33±7.64 and 1 085.33±21.22 ( F=86.74, P<0.001) . The fluorescence intensity of PD-L1 in the siSAMHD1-1 group and siSAMHD1-2 group was higher than that in the control group (all P<0.05) . In xenograft mouse model, the H-SCORE of PD-L1 in the shSAMHD1 group was higher than that in the control group (7.99±1.10 vs. 4.49±0.43, t=5.13, P=0.007) . The proliferative activities of H1975 cells in the control group, siSAMHD1-1 group and siSAMHD1-2 group at 72 h were 0.50±0.02, 0.75±0.05 and 0.73±0.06 ( F=25.01, P=0.001) . The proliferative activities of H1299 cells in the three groups at 72 h were 0.80±0.01, 1.00±0.04 and 0.93±0.07 ( F=13.90, P=0.006) . The cell proliferation activity in the siSAMHD1-1 group and siSAMHD1-2 group was higher than that in the control group (all P<0.05) . Conclusion:SAMHD1 silencing induces PD-L1 expression in lung adenocarcinoma.
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Objective:To investigate the expression of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), programmed cell death ligand 1(PD-L1), and lymphocyte-activation gene 3(LAG-3) in different subsets of lymphocytes and their relationship with the immunologic imbalance in preeclampsia.Methods:We enrolled 25 cases of singleton pregnant women with preeclampsia who were delivered by cesarean section in the Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University from May 2019 to January 2020 as the preeclampsia group. According to the allocation ratio of 1∶1 matched for the date of cesarean section and pregnancy week at delivery, another 25 healthy singleton pregnant women underwent elective cesarean section were selected as the normal group. The decidua tissue was obtained during cesarean section. The expression levels of PD-1, PD-L1, and LAG-3 on decidual T cells, natural killer (NK), and natural killer T (NKT) cells were measured by flow cytometry and compared between the two groups using two independent samples- t test. Results:(1) The expression of PD-1 on decidual T cells and NK cells of the preeclampsia group were lower than those of the normal group (37.84±3.82 vs 57.02±3.89, t=3.529, P<0.001; 3.28±0.48 vs 5.69±0.99, t=2.184, P=0.034), but did not differ significantly in the expression on decidual NKT cells ( P=0.461). PD-L1 expression on decidual NK cells of preeclampsia group was lower than that of the normal group (0.60±0.11 vs 1.32±0.19, t=3.319, P=0.002), but showed no significant difference in the expression level on T cells and NKT cells (both P>0.05). The preeclampsia group was noted for a lower expression of LAG-3 on decidual T cells and NKT cells compared with the normal group (2.32±0.36 vs 4.09±0.67, t=2.335, P=0.024; 35.40±4.97 vs 56.27±4.49, t=3.282, P=0.002), while showed no significant difference in the expression level of NK cells ( P=0.112). Conclusions:The decreased expression of PD-1, PD-L1, and LAG-3 in the decidual lymphocyte subsets may be involved in the immunologic imbalance of preeclampsia through the over-activation of immunocytes at the maternal-fetal interface.
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OBJECTIVE: Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is expressed in tumor cells and has been shown to predict clinical outcomes of several types of malignancies. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of carbon-ion (C-ion) beam irradiation on PD-L1 expression in human uterine cervical adeno/adenosquamous carcinoma (UCAA) cells and clinical samples and to identify the prognostic factors for outcomes after C-ion radiotherapy (CIRT).METHODS: The effects of C-ion irradiation on PD-L1 expression in human UCAA and cervical squamous cell carcinoma cells were examined by flow cytometry. We examined PD-L1 expression in UCAA biopsy specimens from 33 patients before CIRT started (pre-CIRT) and after 12 Gy (relative biological effectiveness [RBE]) irradiation (post-12Gy-C) in 4 fractions of CIRT to investigate the correlation between PD-L1 status and clinical outcomes.RESULTS: The PD-L1 expression was upregulated by C-ion beam in a dose-dependent manner in HeLa and SiHa cells through phosphorylated Chk1. The overall frequencies of pre-CIRT and post-12Gy-C PD-L1 positivity were 45% (15/33) and 67% (22/33), respectively. The post-12Gy-C PD-L1 expression was significantly elevated compared to the pre-CIRT PD-L1 expression. There was no significant relationship between the pre-CIRT PD-L1 status and clinical outcomes, such as local control (LC), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). However, the post-12Gy-C PD-L1 expression had better correlation with PFS, but not with LC and OS.CONCLUSION: CIRT can induce PD-L1 expression in UCAA and we propose that PD-L1 expression after starting CIRT may become as a predictive prognostic marker in CIRT for UCAA.
Subject(s)
Humans , B7-H1 Antigen , Biopsy , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell , Disease-Free Survival , Flow Cytometry , Heavy Ion Radiotherapy , Radiotherapy , Treatment Outcome , Uterine Cervical NeoplasmsABSTRACT
The death rate of colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth in worldwide. It is an important cause of cancer-related death and seriously affects the survival and quality of life of patients. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the main treatments for CRC. However, the overall survival of CRC patients has not been significantly improved. So the new treatments are urgently needed. Tumor immune escape plays a key role in tumor proliferation, recurrence and metastasis. Immune checkpoints programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) play an important role in tumor immune escape. Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy has become a hotspot in cancer research. More and more studies have showed anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy has achieved remarkable efficacy in the treatment of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) CRC. Therefore, this paper summarizes the clinical application of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy in the treatment of CRC and the various strategies to improve its low response rate. And the predictive value of PD-L1 expression on the surface of tumor cells in the prognosis of CRC is also reviewed.
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PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationships between the resistance of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)‒positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to ALK inhibitors and the programmed cell death-1/programmed cell death–ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway, we evaluated alterations in PD-L1 following acquisition of resistance to ALK inhibitors in ALK-positive lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We established ALK inhibitor-resistant cell lines (H3122CR1, LR1, and CH1) by exposing the parental H3122 ALK-translocated NSCLC cell line to ALK inhibitors. Then, the double-resistant cell lines H3122CR1LR1 and CR1CH1 were developed by exposing the H3122CR1 to other ALK inhibitors. We compared the alterations in PD-L1 expression levels using western blotting, flow cytometry, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We also investigated gene expression using RNA sequencing. The expression of PD-L1 in the tumors from 26 ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC patients (11 ALK inhibitor-naïve and 15 ALK inhibitor-resistant patients) was assessed by immunohistochemistry and analyzed. RESULTS: PD-L1 was expressed at higher levels in ALK inhibitor-resistant cell lines than in the ALK inhibitor-naïve parental cell line at the total protein, surface protein, and mRNA levels. Furthermore, PD-L1 expression in the double-resistant cell lines was much higher than that in the single resistant cell lines. RNA sequencing demonstrated that expression of immune-related genes were largely involved in ALK inhibitor resistance. The mean value of the PD-L1 H-score was 6.5 pre-treatment and 35.0 post-treatment, and the fold difference was 5.42 (p=0.163). CONCLUSION: PD-L1 expression increased following acquisition of ALK inhibitor resistance in ALK-positive NSCLC cell lines and tumors.
Subject(s)
Humans , B7-H1 Antigen , Blotting, Western , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung , Cell Line , Drug Resistance , Flow Cytometry , Gene Expression , Immunohistochemistry , Lung Neoplasms , Lung , Lymphoma , Parents , Phosphotransferases , Polymerase Chain Reaction , RNA, Messenger , Sequence Analysis, RNAABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the histological subtypes and mutational profiles of non-small cell lung cancer in Brazil, looking for correlations among histological subtypes, expression of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), EGFR mutation status, and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression. Methods: We evaluated 173 specimens obtained from patients with lung adenocarcinoma in northeastern Brazil. Expression of PD-L1 and ALK was evaluated by immunohistochemistry; EGFR mutation status was evaluated by sequencing. We categorized the histological subtypes in accordance with the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer/American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society classification. Results: The most common histological subtypes of lung adenocarcinoma were solid predominant (in 46.8%), acinar predominant (in 37.0%), and lepidic predominant (in 9.8%). ALK expression was detected in 10.4% of the samples, and 22.0% of the tumors harbored EGFR mutations. The most common EGFR mutation was an exon 21 L858R point mutation (in 45.5%), followed by an exon 19 deletion (in 36.3%). The tumor proportion score for PD-L1 expression was ≥ 50% in 18.2% of the samples, 1-49% in 32.7%, and 0% in 49.5%. The solid predominant subtype was significantly associated with wild-type EGFR status (p = 0.047). Positivity for PD-L1 expression was not found to be significantly associated with ALK expression or EGFR mutation status. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the molecular profile of non-small cell lung cancer in northeastern Brazil differs from those of populations in other regions of the country, with ALK positivity being higher than the other biomarkers. Further studies including clinical and genetic information are required to confirm these differences, as well as studies focusing on populations living in different areas of the country.
RESUMO Objetivo: Investigar os subtipos histológicos e perfis de mutação do carcinoma pulmonar de células não pequenas no Brasil, bem como as correlações entre os subtipos histológicos, a expressão do gene anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK, quinase do linfoma anaplásico), o estado de mutação do gene EGFR e a expressão de programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1, ligante de morte celular programada 1). Métodos: Avaliamos 173 espécimes provenientes de pacientes com adenocarcinoma pulmonar no Nordeste brasileiro. A expressão de PD-L1 e ALK foi avaliada por meio de imuno-histoquímica, ao passo que o estado de mutação do EGFR foi avaliado por meio de sequenciamento. Os subtipos histológicos foram classificados de acordo com a International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer/American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society. Resultados: Os subtipos histológicos mais comuns de adenocarcinoma pulmonar foram o predominantemente sólido (em 46,8%), o predominantemente acinar (em 37,0%) e o predominantemente lepídico (em 9,8%). A expressão de ALK foi detectada em 10,4% das amostras, e 22,0% dos tumores apresentavam mutações do gene EGFR. As mutações mais comuns do EGFR foram a mutação pontual L858R no éxon 21 (em 45,5%) e a deleção do éxon 19 (em 36,3%). O tumor proportion score relativo à expressão de PD-L1 foi ≥ 50% em 18,2% das amostras, = 1-49% em 32,7% e = 0% em 49,5%. O subtipo predominantemente sólido relacionou-se significativamente com EGFR selvagem (p = 0,047). A expressão positiva de PD-L1 não se relacionou significativamente com a expressão de ALK ou o estado de mutação do EGFR. Conclusões: Nossos resultados sugerem que o perfil molecular do carcinoma pulmonar de células não pequenas no Nordeste brasileiro difere do de populações em outras regiões do país: a expressão positiva de ALK é maior que os demais biomarcadores. Mais estudos com informações clínicas e genéticas são necessários para confirmar essas diferenças, além de estudos que se concentrem em populações em diferentes áreas do país.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Middle Aged , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Adenocarcinoma/pathology , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology , Genes, erbB-1/genetics , B7-H1 Antigen/analysis , Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase/analysis , Lung Neoplasms/pathology , Reference Values , Biopsy , Brazil , Immunohistochemistry , Adenocarcinoma/genetics , Retrospective Studies , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/genetics , Lung Neoplasms/genetics , MutationABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Immune suppression is common in patients with advanced breast cancer but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have not been sufficiently studied. In this study, we aimed to identify B7 family members that were able to predict the immune status of patients, and which may serve as potential targets for the treatment of breast cancer. We also aimed to identify microRNAs that may regulate the expression of B7 family members. METHODS: The Cancer Genome Atlas data from 1,092 patients with breast cancer, including gene expression, microRNA expression and survival data, were used for statistical and survival analyses. Polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to measure messenger RNA and protein expression, respectively. Luciferase assay was used to investigate direct microRNA target. RESULTS: Bioinformatic analysis predicted that microRNA (miR)-93, miR-195, miR-497, and miR-340 are potential regulators of the immune evasion of breast cancer cells, and that they exert this function by targeting CD274, PDCD1LG2, and NCR3LG1. We chose CD274 for further investigations. We found that miR-195, miR-497, and CD274 expression levels were inversely correlated in MDA-MB-231 cells, and miR-195 and miR-497 expressions mimic inhibited CD274 expression in vitro. Mechanistic investigations demonstrated that miR-195 and miR-497 directly target CD274 3′ untranslated region. CONCLUSION: Our data indicated that the level of B7 family members can predict the prognosis of breast cancer patients, and miR-195/miR-497 regulate CD274 expression in triple negative breast cancer. This regulation may further influence tumor progression and the immune tolerance mechanism in breast cancer and may be able to predict the effect of immunotherapy on patients.