Nucleotide metabolism in cancer cells fuels a UDP-driven macrophage cross-talk, promoting immunosuppression and immunotherapy resistance.

Many individuals with cancer are resistant to immunotherapies. Here, we identify the gene encoding the pyrimidine salvage pathway enzyme cytidine deaminase (CDA) among the top upregulated metabolic genes in several immunotherapy-resistant tumors. We show that CDA in cancer cells contributes to the uridine diphosphate (UDP) pool. Extracellular UDP hijacks immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) through its receptor P2Y6. Pharmacologic or genetic inhibition of CDA in cancer cells (or P2Y6 in TAMs) disrupts TAM-mediated immunosuppression, promoting cytotoxic T cell entry and susceptibility to anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1) treatment in resistant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and melanoma models. Conversely, CDA overexpression in CDA-depleted PDACs or anti-PD-1-responsive colorectal tumors or systemic UDP administration (re)establishes resistance. In individuals with PDAC, high CDA levels in cancer cells correlate with increased TAMs, lower cytotoxic T cells and possibly anti-PD-1 resistance. In a pan-cancer single-cell atlas, CDAhigh cancer cells match with T cell cytotoxicity dysfunction and P2RY6high TAMs. Overall, we suggest CDA and P2Y6 as potential targets for cancer immunotherapy.

Nucleolar localization of the ErbB3 receptor as a new target in glioblastoma.

BACKGROUND: The nucleolus is a subnuclear, non-membrane bound domain that is the hub of ribosome biogenesis and a critical regulator of cell homeostasis. Rapid growth and division of cells in tumors are correlated with intensive nucleolar metabolism as a response to oncogenic factors overexpression. Several members of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) family, have been identified in the nucleus and nucleolus of many cancer cells, but their function in these compartments remains unexplored. RESULTS: We focused our research on the nucleolar function that a specific member of EGFR family, the ErbB3 receptor, plays in glioblastoma, a tumor without effective therapies. Here, Neuregulin 1 mediated proliferative stimuli, promotes ErbB3 relocalization from the nucleolus to the cytoplasm and increases pre-rRNA synthesis. Instead ErbB3 silencing or nucleolar stress reduce cell proliferation and affect cell cycle progression. CONCLUSIONS: These data point to the existence of an ErbB3-mediated non canonical pathway that glioblastoma cells use to control ribosomes synthesis and cell proliferation. These results highlight the potential role for the nucleolar ErbB3 receptor, as a new target in glioblastoma.

Macrophage miR-210 induction and metabolic reprogramming in response to pathogen interaction boost life-threatening inflammation.

Unbalanced immune responses to pathogens can be life-threatening although the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we show a hypoxia-inducible factor 1α-dependent microRNA (miR)-210 up-regulation in monocytes and macrophages upon pathogen interaction. MiR-210 knockout in the hematopoietic lineage or in monocytes/macrophages mitigated the symptoms of endotoxemia, bacteremia, sepsis, and parasitosis, limiting the cytokine storm, organ damage/dysfunction, pathogen spreading, and lethality. Similarly, pharmacologic miR-210 inhibition improved the survival of septic mice. Mechanistically, miR-210 induction in activated macrophages supported a switch toward a proinflammatory state by lessening mitochondria respiration in favor of glycolysis, partly achieved by downmodulating the iron-sulfur cluster assembly enzyme ISCU. In humans, augmented miR-210 levels in circulating monocytes correlated with the incidence of sepsis, while serum levels of monocyte/macrophage-derived miR-210 were associated with sepsis mortality. Together, our data identify miR-210 as a fine-tuning regulator of macrophage metabolism and inflammatory responses, suggesting miR-210-based therapeutic and diagnostic strategies.

Insulin-like growth factor-6 (IGFBP-6) stimulates neutrophil oxidative burst, degranulation and chemotaxis.

The aim of this study was to understand whether insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-6 (IGFBP-6) has functional effects on neutrophils, in particular when they cross epithelium during inflammation. We found that IGFBP-6 increased ROS production (cytofluorimetry), degranulation of primary and tertiary granules (ELISA) and transmigration through the epithelial monolayer. No priming by IGFBP-6 on neutrophils stimulated by either PMA or fMLP was observed. IGFBP-6 is an agonist of neutrophils' functions, most likely when these cells have been already activated by other stimuli.

Febrile temperature reprograms by redox-mediated signaling the mitochondrial metabolic phenotype in monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

Fever-like hyperthermia is known to stimulate innate and adaptive immune responses. Hyperthermia-induced immune stimulation is also accompanied with, and likely conditioned by, changes in the cell metabolism and, in particular, mitochondrial metabolism is now recognized to play a pivotal role in this context, both as energy supplier and as signaling platform. In this study we asked if challenging human monocyte-derived dendritic cells with a relatively short-time thermal shock in the fever-range, typically observed in humans, caused alterations in the mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. We found that following hyperthermic stress (3h exposure at 39°C) TNF-α-releasing dendritic cells undergo rewiring of the oxidative metabolism hallmarked by decrease of the mitochondrial respiratory activity and of the oxidative phosphorylation and increase of lactate production. Moreover, enhanced production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and accumulation of mitochondrial Ca2+ was consistently observed in hyperthermia-conditioned dendritic cells and exhibited a reciprocal interplay. The hyperthermia-induced impairment of the mitochondrial respiratory activity was (i) irreversible following re-conditioning of cells to normothermia, (ii) mimicked by exposing normothermic cells to the conditioned medium of the hyperthermia-challenged cells, (iii) largely prevented by antioxidant and inhibitors of the nitric oxide synthase and of the mitochondrial calcium porter, which also inhibited release of TNF-α. These observations combined with gene expression analysis support a model based on a thermally induced autocrine signaling, which rewires and sets a metabolism checkpoint linked to immune activation of dendritic cells.

Human monocyte-derived dendritic cells exposed to hyperthermia show a distinct gene expression profile and selective upregulation of IGFBP6.

Fever plays a role in activating innate immunity while its relevance in activating adaptive immunity is less clear. Even brief exposure to elevated temperatures significantly impacts on the immunostimulatory capacity of dendritic cells (DCs), but the consequences on immune response remain unclear. To address this issue, we analyzed the gene expression profiles of normal human monocyte-derived DCs from nine healthy adults subjected either to fever-like thermal conditions (39°C) or to normal temperature (37°C) for 180 minutes. Exposure of DCs to 39°C caused upregulation of 43 genes and downregulation of 24 genes. Functionally, the up/downregulated genes are involved in post-translational modification, protein folding, cell death and survival, and cellular movement. Notably, when compared to monocytes, DCs differentially upregulated transcription of the secreted protein IGFBP-6, not previously known to be specifically linked to hyperthermia. Exposure of DCs to 39°C induced apoptosis/necrosis and resulted in accumulation of IGFBP-6 in the conditioned medium at 48 h. IGFBP-6 may have a functional role in the hyperthermic response as it induced chemotaxis of monocytes and T lymphocytes, but not of B lymphocytes. Thus, temperature regulates complex biological DC functions that most likely contribute to their ability to induce an efficient adaptive immune response.

A Comparison of Lysosomal Enzymes Expression Levels in Peripheral Blood of Mild- and Severe-Alzheimer's Disease and MCI Patients: Implications for Regenerative Medicine Approaches.

The association of lysosomal dysfunction and neurodegeneration has been documented in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Herein, we investigate the association of lysosomal enzymes with AD at different stages of progression of the disease (mild and severe) or with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We conducted a screening of two classes of lysosomal enzymes: glycohydrolases (ß-Hexosaminidase, ß-Galctosidase, ß-Galactosylcerebrosidase, ß-Glucuronidase) and proteases (Cathepsins S, D, B, L) in peripheral blood samples (blood plasma and PBMCs) from mild AD, severe AD, MCI and healthy control subjects. We confirmed the lysosomal dysfunction in severe AD patients and added new findings enhancing the association of abnormal levels of specific lysosomal enzymes with the mild AD or severe AD, and highlighting the difference of AD from MCI. Herein, we showed for the first time the specific alteration of ß-Galctosidase (Gal), ß-Galactosylcerebrosidase (GALC) in MCI patients. It is notable that in above peripheral biological samples the lysosomes are more sensitive to AD cellular metabolic alteration when compared to levels of Aß-peptide or Tau proteins, similar in both AD groups analyzed. Collectively, our findings support the role of lysosomal enzymes as potential peripheral molecules that vary with the progression of AD, and make them useful for monitoring regenerative medicine approaches for AD.