Role of Dot1L and H3K79 methylation in regulating somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin genes.

Somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class-switch recombination (CSR) of the immunoglobulin (Ig) genes allow B cells to make antibodies that protect us against a wide variety of pathogens. SHM is mediated by activation-induced deaminase (AID), occurs at a million times higher frequency than other mutations in the mammalian genome, and is largely restricted to the variable (V) and switch (S) regions of Ig genes. Using the Ramos human Burkitt's lymphoma cell line, we find that H3K79me2/3 and its methyltransferase Dot1L are more abundant on the V region than on the constant (C) region, which does not undergo mutation. In primary naïve mouse B cells examined ex vivo, the H3K79me2/3 modification appears constitutively in the donor Sµ and is inducible in the recipient Sγ1 upon CSR stimulation. Knockout and inhibition of Dot1L in Ramos cells significantly reduces V region mutation and the abundance of H3K79me2/3 on the V region and is associated with a decrease of polymerase II (Pol II) and its S2 phosphorylated form at the IgH locus. Knockout of Dot1L also decreases the abundance of BRD4 and CDK9 (a subunit of the P-TEFb complex) on the V region, and this is accompanied by decreased nascent transcripts throughout the IgH gene. Treatment with JQ1 (inhibitor of BRD4) or DRB (inhibitor of CDK9) decreases SHM and the abundance of Pol II S2P at the IgH locus. Since all these factors play a role in transcription elongation, our studies reinforce the idea that the chromatin context and dynamics of transcription are critical for SHM.

The role of HIRA-dependent H3.3 deposition and its modifications in the somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin variable regions.

The H3.3 histone variant and its chaperone HIRA are involved in active transcription, but their detailed roles in regulating somatic hypermutation (SHM) of immunoglobulin variable regions in human B cells are not yet fully understood. In this study, we show that the knockout (KO) of HIRA significantly decreased SHM and changed the mutation pattern of the variable region of the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) in the human Ramos B cell line without changing the levels of activation-induced deaminase and other major proteins known to be involved in SHM. Except for H3K79me2/3 and Spt5, many factors related to active transcription, including H3.3, were substantively decreased in HIRA KO cells, and this was accompanied by decreased nascent transcription in the IgH locus. The abundance of ZMYND11 that specifically binds to H3.3K36me3 on the IgH locus was also reduced in the HIRA KO. Somewhat surprisingly, HIRA loss increased the chromatin accessibility of the IgH V region locus. Furthermore, stable expression of ectopic H3.3G34V and H3.3G34R mutants that inhibit both the trimethylation of H3.3K36 and the recruitment of ZMYND11 significantly reduced SHM in Ramos cells, while the H3.3K79M did not. Consistent with the HIRA KO, the H3.3G34V mutant also decreased the occupancy of various elongation factors and of ZMYND11 on the IgH variable and downstream switching regions. Our results reveal an unrecognized role of HIRA and the H3.3K36me3 modification in SHM and extend our knowledge of how transcription-associated chromatin structure and accessibility contribute to SHM in human B cells.

A Bayesian model based computational analysis of the relationship between bisulfite accessible single-stranded DNA in chromatin and somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin genes.

The B cells in our body generate protective antibodies by introducing somatic hypermutations (SHM) into the variable region of immunoglobulin genes (IgVs). The mutations are generated by activation induced deaminase (AID) that converts cytosine to uracil in single stranded DNA (ssDNA) generated during transcription. Attempts have been made to correlate SHM with ssDNA using bisulfite to chemically convert cytosines that are accessible in the intact chromatin of mutating B cells. These studies have been complicated by using different definitions of "bisulfite accessible regions" (BARs). Recently, deep-sequencing has provided much larger datasets of such regions but computational methods are needed to enable this analysis. Here we leveraged the deep-sequencing approach with unique molecular identifiers and developed a novel Hidden Markov Model based Bayesian Segmentation algorithm to characterize the ssDNA regions in the IGHV4-34 gene of the human Ramos B cell line. Combining hierarchical clustering and our new Bayesian model, we identified recurrent BARs in certain subregions of both top and bottom strands of this gene. Using this new system, the average size of BARs is about 15 bp. We also identified potential G-quadruplex DNA structures in this gene and found that the BARs co-locate with G-quadruplex structures in the opposite strand. Using various correlation analyses, there is not a direct site-to-site relationship between the bisulfite accessible ssDNA and all sites of SHM but most of the highly AID mutated sites are within 15 bp of a BAR. In summary, we developed a novel platform to study single stranded DNA in chromatin at a base pair resolution that reveals potential relationships among BARs, SHM and G-quadruplexes. This platform could be applied to genome wide studies in the future.

[The Effect of CYP4 F2 Polymorphism on Initial Warfarin Dose in Patients with Heart Valve Replacement].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of cytochrome P-4504F2 ( CYP4 F2) gene polymorphism on the initial dose of warfarin in patients after mechanical heart valve replacement. METHODS: We collected 350 patients receiving warfarin after mechanical heart valve replacement from January 2013 to December 2015 in our hospital. According to the international standardized ratio (INR) ≥2 at the initial stage after surgery, the patients were divided into two groups: INR≥2 group and INR<2 group. We selected the blood samples of all the 350 patients with testing the CYP4 F2 gene type of each patient, and analyzed the effect of CYP4 F2 gene polymorphism on the initial dose of warfarin after mechanical heart valve replacement (the average daily dose during hospitalization of patients 5-10 days after mechanical heart valve replacement). RESULTS: There was no statistical significance in the initial dose of warfarin among patients with different CYP4 F2 genotypes. However, warfarin dose was higher in CYP4 F2 TT genotype than in CYP4 F2 CC carriers ((3.37±0.68) mg vs. (2.94±0.74) mg, P<0.05) in INR≥2 group; In patients with the same genotype, the initial dose of warfarin in the CYP4 F2 CC ((4.02±0.58) mg vs. (2.94±0.74) mg) and CYP4 F2 CT genotypes ((4.15±0.88) mg vs. (3.18±0.82) mg) of INR<2 group was higher than that in INR≥2 group ( P<0.05). Gender, age, body mass index (BMI), comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation), cytopigment P-450 2C9 ( CYP2 C9), CYP4 F2 and vitamin K peroxide-reductase complex 1 ( VKORC1) gene polymorphism and INR compliance were included in multiple linear regression analysis. The regression equation was as follows: warfarin initial dose (mg) =-8.634+0.352×BMI (kg/m 2) +1.102× CYP4 F2 genotype (CC or CT values 1, TT values 2) +2.147× VKORC1 (AA or AG values 1, GG values 2) +1.325×INR ( INR≥2 values 0, INR<2 values 1). The coefficient of determination ( R 2) of regression equation was 0.431 ( P<0.05). CONCLUSION: CYP4 F2 gene polymorphism may affect the initial dose of warfarin in patients after heart valve replacement, and this effect is also affected by body characteristics and other factors.

Long non-coding RNA HOTAIR functions as a competitive endogenous RNA to regulate PRAF2 expression by sponging miR-326 in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: LncRNAs may exert a regulatory effect in tumorigenesis. Although the expression of lncRNA HOTAIR has been confirmed to be notably elevated in the tissues of CSCC, its biological mechanism in CSCC is still unknown. METHODS: HOTAIR expression level in CSCC cell lines was monitored via qRT-PCR. Then CCK-8 assay, Transwell assay and EdU assay were adopted to detect cell migration and proliferation. Meanwhile, through bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter gene detection, a new target of HOTAIR was identified. Additionally, Western blotting and RIP analysis were adopted to discuss the possible mechanism. RESULTS: HOTAIR expression in CSCC cell lines exhibited an obvious elevation. Cell function analysis revealed that HOTAIR overexpression remarkably facilitated CSCC cell migration, proliferation and EMT process, which were impeded by down-regulation of HOTAIR. Furthermore, HOTAIR competitively bound to miR-326, so as to positively modulate miR-326 expression. CONCLUSIONS: These results present that HOTAIR, as a ceRNA, regulates PRAF2 expression by competitive binding to miR-326 during CSCC.

AANL (Agrocybe aegerita lectin 2) is a new facile tool to probe for O-GlcNAcylation.

O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAcylation) is an important post-translational modification on serine or threonine of proteins, mainly observed in nucleus or cytoplasm. O-GlcNAcylation regulates many cell processes, including transcription, cell cycle, neural development and nascent polypeptide chains stabilization. However, the facile identification of O-GlcNAc is a major bottleneck in O-GlcNAcylation research. Herein, we report that a lectin, Agrocybe aegerita GlcNAc-specific lectin (AANL), also reported as AAL2, can be used as a powerful probe for O-GlcNAc identification. Glycan array analyses and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assays show that AANL binds to GlcNAc with a dissociation constant (KD) of 94.6 µM, which is consistent with the result tested through isothiocyanate (ITC) assay reported before (Jiang S, Chen Y, Wang M, Yin Y, Pan Y, Gu B, Yu G, Li Y, Wong BH, Liang Y, et al. 2012. A novel lectin from Agrocybe aegerita shows high binding selectivity for terminal N-acetylglucosamine. Biochem J. 443:369-378.). Confocal imaging shows that AANL co-localizes extensively with NUP62, a heavily O-GlcNAcylated and abundant nuclear pore glycoprotein. Furthermore, O-GlcNAc-modified peptides could be effectively enriched in the late flow-through peak from simple samples by using affinity columns Sepharose 4B-AANL or POROS-AANL. Therefore, using AANL affinity column, we identified 28 high-confidence O-linked HexNAc-modified peptides mapped on 17 proteins involving diverse cellular progresses, including transcription, hydrolysis progress, urea cycle, alcohol metabolism and cell cycle. And most importantly, major proteins and sites were not annotated in the dbOGAP database. These results suggest that the AANL lectin is a new useful tool for enrichment and identification of O-GlcNAcylated proteins and peptides.

CeCaFDB: a curated database for the documentation, visualization and comparative analysis of central carbon metabolic flux distributions explored by 13C-fluxomics.

The Central Carbon Metabolic Flux Database (CeCaFDB, available at http://www.cecafdb.org) is a manually curated, multipurpose and open-access database for the documentation, visualization and comparative analysis of the quantitative flux results of central carbon metabolism among microbes and animal cells. It encompasses records for more than 500 flux distributions among 36 organisms and includes information regarding the genotype, culture medium, growth conditions and other specific information gathered from hundreds of journal articles. In addition to its comprehensive literature-derived data, the CeCaFDB supports a common text search function among the data and interactive visualization of the curated flux distributions with compartmentation information based on the Cytoscape Web API, which facilitates data interpretation. The CeCaFDB offers four modules to calculate a similarity score or to perform an alignment between the flux distributions. One of the modules was built using an inter programming algorithm for flux distribution alignment that was specifically designed for this study. Based on these modules, the CeCaFDB also supports an extensive flux distribution comparison function among the curated data. The CeCaFDB is strenuously designed to address the broad demands of biochemists, metabolic engineers, systems biologists and members of the -omics community.

Identification of GlcNAcylated alpha-1-antichymotrypsin as an early biomarker in human non-small-cell lung cancer by quantitative proteomic analysis with two lectins.

BACKGROUND: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the main type of lung cancer with high mortality rates in worldwide. There is a need to identify better biomarkers to detect NSCLC at an early stage as this will improve therapeutic effect and patient survival rates. METHODS: Two lectins (AAL/AAGL and AAL2/AANL), which specifically bind to tumour-related glycan antigens, were first used to enrich serum glycoproteins from the serum of early NSCLC patients, benign lung diseases subjects and healthy individuals. The samples were investigated by using iTRAQ labelling and LC-MS/MS. RESULTS: A total of 53 differentially expressed proteins were identified by quantitative proteomics and four glycoproteins (AACT, AGP1, CFB and HPX) were selected for further verification by western blotting. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed AACT was the best candidate for early NSCLC diagnosis of the four proteins, with 94.1% sensitivity in distinguishing early tumour Stage (IA+IB) from tumour-free samples (healthy and benign samples, HB). The GlcNAcylated AACT was further detected by lectin-based ELISA and has better advantage in clinical application than total AACT. The GlcNAcylated AACT can effectively differentiate Stage I from HB samples with an AUC of 0.908 and 90.9% sensitivity at a specificity of 86.2%. A combination of GlcNAcylated AACT and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was able to effectively differing Stage I from HB samples (AUC=0.914), which significantly improve the specificity of CEA. The combination application also has the better clinical diagnostic efficacy in distinguishing cancer (NSCLC) from HB samples than CEA or GlcNAcylated AACT used alone, and yielded an AUC of 0.817 with 93.1% specificity. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the GlcNAcylated AACT will be a promising clinical biomarker in diagnosis of early NSCLC.

Inhibition of hepatitis B virus gene expression and replication by hepatocyte nuclear factor 6.

UNLABELLED: Hepatitis B virus (HBV), a small enveloped DNA virus, chronically infects more than 350 million people worldwide and causes liver diseases from hepatitis to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Here, we report that hepatocyte nuclear factor 6 (HNF6), a liver-enriched transcription factor, can inhibit HBV gene expression and DNA replication. Overexpression of HNF6 inhibited, while knockdown of HNF6 expression enhanced, HBV gene expression and replication in hepatoma cells. Mechanistically, the SP2 promoter was inhibited by HNF6, which partly accounts for the inhibition on S mRNA. Detailed analysis showed that a cis element on the HBV genome (nucleotides [nt] 3009 to 3019) was responsible for the inhibition of the SP2 promoter by HNF6. Moreover, further analysis showed that HNF6 reduced viral pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) posttranscriptionally via accelerating the degradation of HBV pgRNA independent of La protein. Furthermore, by using truncated mutation experiments, we demonstrated that the N-terminal region of HNF6 was responsible for its inhibitory effects. Importantly, introduction of an HNF6 expression construct with the HBV genome into the mouse liver using hydrodynamic injection resulted in a significant reduction in viral gene expression and DNA replication. Overall, our data demonstrated that HNF6 is a novel host factor that can restrict HBV replication via both transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms. IMPORTANCE: HBV is a major human pathogen whose replication is regulated by host factors. Liver-enriched transcription factors are critical for many liver functions, including metabolism, development, and cell proliferation, and some of them have been shown to regulate HBV gene expression or replication in different manners. In this study, we showed that HNF6 could inhibit the gene expression and DNA replication of HBV via both transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms. As HNF6 is differentially expressed in men and women, the current results may suggest a role of HNF6 in the gender dimorphism of HBV infection.

Formation of meta-Substituted Phenols by Transition Metal-Free Aromatization: Use of 2-Bromocyclohex-2-en-1-ones.

Addition of Grignard or other organometallic reagents to 2-halocyclohex-2-en-1-ones bearing an alkyl or aryl group at C-5, followed by mild acid treatment and exposure to 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) at room temperature, generates meta-substituted phenols in which the newly introduced meta substituent originates from the Grignard reagent. The range of effective organometallic reagents includes alkyl, allyl, alkynyl, aryl, and heteroaryl compounds including those with fluorine substituents. The initial halocyclohexenone can be deprotonated at C-6 and reacted with carbon, fluorine, or sulfur electrophiles before the Grignard addition so as to generate highly substituted phenols.

Conversion of cycloalk-2-enones into 2-methylcycloalkane-1,3-diones--assessment of various Tamao-Fleming procedures and mechanistic insight into the use of the Me3SiMe2Si unit.

Conjugate addition of Me3SiMe2SiLi to cycloalk-2-en-1-ones, ketalization, Tamao-Fleming oxidation (Bu4NF, then H2O2, KHCO3), TPAP oxidation and acid hydrolysis generates 2-methyl cycloalkane-1,3-diones. Ketalization is needed in order to prevent addition of Me3Si(-) to the carbonyl. The pentamethyldisilanyl group has advantages over other silicon units that are used in Tamao-Fleming procedures.

Uncovering receptor-ligand interactions using a high-avidity CRISPR activation screening platform.

The majority of clinically approved drugs target proteins that are secreted or cell surface bound. However, further advances in this area have been hindered by the challenging nature of receptor deorphanization, as there are still many secreted and cell-bound proteins with unknown binding partners. Here, we developed an advanced screening platform that combines CRISPR-CAS9 guide-mediated gene activation (CRISPRa) and high-avidity bead-based selection. The CRISPRa platform incorporates serial enrichment and flow cytometry-based monitoring, resulting in substantially improved screening sensitivity for well-known yet weak interactions of the checkpoint inhibitor family. Our approach has successfully revealed that siglec-4 exerts regulatory control over T cell activation through a low affinity trans-interaction with the costimulatory receptor 4-1BB. Our highly efficient screening platform holds great promise for identifying extracellular interactions of uncharacterized receptor-ligand partners, which is essential to develop next-generation therapeutics, including additional immune checkpoint inhibitors.

A novel lectin from Agrocybe aegerita shows high binding selectivity for terminal N-acetylglucosamine.

A novel lectin was isolated from the mushroom Agrocybe aegerita (designated AAL-2) by affinity chromatography with GlcNAc (N-acetylglucosamine)-coupled Sepharose 6B after ammonium sulfate precipitation. The AAL-2 coding sequence (1224 bp) was identified by performing a homologous search of the five tryptic peptides identified by MS against the translated transcriptome of A. aegerita. The molecular mass of AAL-2 was calculated to be 43.175 kDa from MS, which was consistent with the data calculated from the amino acid sequence. To analyse the carbohydrate-binding properties of AAL-2, a glycan array composed of 465 glycan candidates was employed, and the result showed that AAL-2 bound with high selectivity to terminal non-reducing GlcNAc residues, and further analysis revealed that AAL-2 bound to terminal non-reducing GlcNAc residues with higher affinity than previously well-known GlcNAc-binding lectins such as WGA (wheatgerm agglutinin) and GSL-II (Griffonia simplicifolia lectin-II). ITC (isothermal titration calorimetry) showed further that GlcNAc bound to AAL-2 in a sequential manner with moderate affinity. In the present study, we also evaluated the anti-tumour activity of AAL-2. The results showed that AAL-2 could bind to the surface of hepatoma cells, leading to induced cell apoptosis in vitro. Furthermore, AAL-2 exerted an anti-hepatoma effect via inhibition of tumour growth and prolongation of survival time of tumour-bearing mice in vivo.

Engineering CD276/B7-H3-targeted antibody-drug conjugates with enhanced cancer-eradicating capability.

CD276/B7-H3 represents a promising target for cancer therapy based on widespread overexpression in both cancer cells and tumor-associated stroma. In previous preclinical studies, CD276 antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) exploiting a talirine-type pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) payload showed potent activity against various solid tumors but with a narrow therapeutic index and dosing regimen higher than that tolerated in clinical trials using other antibody-talirine conjugates. Here, we describe the development of a modified talirine PBD-based fully human CD276 ADC, called m276-SL-PBD, that is cross-species (human/mouse) reactive and can eradicate large 500-1,000-mm3 triple-negative breast cancer xenografts at doses 10- to 40-fold lower than the maximum tolerated dose. By combining CD276 targeting with judicious genetic and chemical ADC engineering, improved ADC purification, and payload sensitivity screening, these studies demonstrate that the therapeutic index of ADCs can be substantially increased, providing an advanced ADC development platform for potent and selective targeting of multiple solid tumor types.

Magnetic field sensing based on V-shaped groove filled with magnetic fluids.

A magnetic field sensing system based on V-shaped groove filled with magnetic fluids is developed in this work. The propagation direction of the emergent light after the V-shaped groove (or the position of the emergent light on the detecting plane) is related to the strength of the externally applied magnetic field. The analytical expressions for the sensing system are derived in detail. The sensitivity and other sensing properties of the sensing system are investigated numerically and experimentally. The sensing mechanism is analyzed and ascribed to the magnetically tunable refractive index of magnetic fluids.

Magnetic field sensing based on capillary filled with magnetic fluids.

A kind of magnetic field sensing system based on capillary tube filled with magnetic fluids is developed in this work. The analytical expressions for the sensing system are derived in detail. The sensitivity and other sensing properties of the system are investigated numerically and experimentally. The focal line position of the emergent light after the capillary is related with the strength of the externally applied magnetic fields and recorded and judged by the CCD to sense the magnetic field indirectly. The sensing mechanism is analyzed and ascribed to the magnetically tunable refractive index of magnetic fluids. This kind of sensing unit has the advantages of miniaturization of device, easy operation, and lower dosage of sensing media.

Minimizing the creation of spent pickling liquors in a pickling process with high-concentration hydrochloric acid solutions: mechanism and evaluation method.

The purpose of this investigation is to propose a strategy for minimizing the creation of spent pickling liquors through the synergistic corrosion inhibition of OP-10 and potassium iodide, thus facilitating a cleaner production process for acid pickling of metals with a high-concentration solution (6.0 mol/l) of hydrochloric acid. Results obtained with the methods of weight loss and electrochemical polarization showed that adding KI and OP-10 could enhance the energy barrier of the corrosion reaction and improved the corrosion inhibition for mild steel in high concentration of HCl solutions. A synergistic effect was identified when KI and OP-10 were present in suitable proportions. The results of the electrochemical experiments and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations showed that the complex inhibitor was a mixed-type inhibitor and it formed a compact film on the metal surface, thus providing an effective protection for the metal in the aggressive solutions, which significantly minimized the creation of spent pickling liquors. A simple and convenient method was also proposed for the quantificational evaluation of the inhibition degree in the creation of spent pickling liquors.

catena-Poly[[[tetra-aqua-copper(II)]-µ-4,4'-bipyridyl-κ(2)N:N'] tetra-fluorido-succinate tetra-hydrate].

In the title compound, {[Cu(C(10)H(8)N(2))(H(2)O)(4)](C(4)F(4)O(4))·4H(2)O}(n), the Cu(II) atom adopts an elongated octa-hedral geometry because of the Jahn-Teller effect. Both cation and anion have crystallographic twofold rotation symmetry with the twofold axes passing through the Cu and N atoms and through the midpoint of the central C-C bond. The 4,4'-bipyridyl ligand links the Cu(II) atoms into a linear chain along the b axis. O-H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter-actions between the cationic chains and the tetra-fluorido-succinate anions and the free water mol-ecules generate a three-dimensional supra-molecular network.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Tat Protein Aids V Region Somatic Hypermutation in Human B Cells.

Long-term survivors of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have been shown to have a greatly increased incidence of B cell lymphomas. This increased lymphomagenesis suggests some link between HIV infection and the destabilization of the host B cell genome, a phenomenon also suggested by the extraordinary high frequency of mutation, insertion, and deletion in the broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies. Since HIV does not infect B cells, the molecular mechanisms of this genomic instability remain to be fully defined. Here, we demonstrate that the cell membrane-permeable HIV Tat proteins enhance activation-induced deaminase (AID)-mediated somatic hypermutation (SHM) of antibody V regions through their modulation of the endogenous polymerase II (Pol II) transcriptional process. Extremely small amounts of Tat that could come from bystander HIV-infected cells were sufficient to promote SHM. Our data suggest HIV Tat is one missing link between HIV infection and the overall B cell genomic instability in AIDS patients.IMPORTANCE Although the introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has successfully controlled primary effects of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, such as HIV proliferation and HIV-induced immune deficiency, it did not eliminate the increased susceptibility of HIV-infected patients to B cell lymphomas. We find that a secreted HIV protein, Tat, enhances the intrinsic antibody diversification mechanism by increasing the AID-induced somatic mutations at the heavy-chain variable (VH) regions in human B cells. This could contribute to the high rate of mutation in the variable regions of broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies and the genomewide mutations leading to B cell malignancies in HIV carriers.

Tumor stroma-targeted antibody-drug conjugate triggers localized anticancer drug release.

Although nonmalignant stromal cells facilitate tumor growth and can occupy up to 90% of a solid tumor mass, better strategies to exploit these cells for improved cancer therapy are needed. Here, we describe a potent MMAE-linked antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting tumor endothelial marker 8 (TEM8, also known as ANTXR1), a highly conserved transmembrane receptor broadly overexpressed on cancer-associated fibroblasts, endothelium, and pericytes. Anti-TEM8 ADC elicited potent anticancer activity through an unexpected killing mechanism we term DAaRTS (drug activation and release through stroma), whereby the tumor microenvironment localizes active drug at the tumor site. Following capture of ADC prodrug from the circulation, tumor-associated stromal cells release active MMAE free drug, killing nearby proliferating tumor cells in a target-independent manner. In preclinical studies, ADC treatment was well tolerated and induced regression and often eradication of multiple solid tumor types, blocked metastatic growth, and prolonged overall survival. By exploiting TEM8+ tumor stroma for targeted drug activation, these studies reveal a drug delivery strategy with potential to augment therapies against multiple cancer types.