Correction: Conserved Molecular Underpinnings and Characterization of a Role for Caveolin-1 in the Tumor Microenvironment of Mature T-Cell Lymphomas.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142682.].

Conserved Molecular Underpinnings and Characterization of a Role for Caveolin-1 in the Tumor Microenvironment of Mature T-Cell Lymphomas.

Neoplasms of extra-thymic T-cell origin represent a rare and difficult population characterized by poor clinical outcome, aggressive presentation, and poorly defined molecular characteristics. Much work has been done to gain greater insights into distinguishing features among malignant subtypes, but there also exists a need to identify unifying characteristics to assist in rapid diagnosis and subsequent potential treatment. Herein, we investigated gene expression data of five different mature T-cell lymphoma subtypes (n = 187) and found 21 genes to be up- and down-regulated across all malignancies in comparison to healthy CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell controls (n = 52). From these results, we sought to characterize a role for caveolin-1 (CAV1), a gene with previous description in the progression of both solid and hematological tumors. Caveolin-1 was upregulated, albeit with a heterogeneous nature, across all mature T-cell lymphoma subtypes, a finding confirmed using immunohistochemical staining on an independent sampling of mature T-cell lymphoma biopsies (n = 65 cases). Further, stratifying malignant samples in accordance with high and low CAV1 expression revealed that higher expression of CAV1 in mature T-cell lymphomas is analogous with an enhanced inflammatory and invasive gene expression profile. Taken together, these results demonstrate a role for CAV1 in the tumor microenvironment of mature T-cell malignancies and point toward potential prognostic implications.

Design, Assessment, and in vivo Evaluation of a Computational Model Illustrating the Role of CAV1 in CD4(+) T-lymphocytes.

Caveolin-1 (CAV1) is a vital scaffold protein heterogeneously expressed in both healthy and malignant tissue. We focus on the role of CAV1 when overexpressed in T-cell leukemia. Previously, we have shown that CAV1 is involved in cell-to-cell communication, cellular proliferation, and immune synapse formation; however, the molecular mechanisms have not been elucidated. We hypothesize that the role of CAV1 in immune synapse formation contributes to immune regulation during leukemic progression, thereby warranting studies of the role of CAV1 in CD4(+) T-cells in relation to antigen-presenting cells. To address this need, we developed a computational model of a CD4(+) immune effector T-cell to mimic cellular dynamics and molecular signaling under healthy and immunocompromised conditions (i.e., leukemic conditions). Using the Cell Collective computational modeling software, the CD4(+) T-cell model was constructed and simulated under CAV1 (+/+), CAV1 (+/-), and CAV1 (-/-) conditions to produce a hypothetical immune response. This model allowed us to predict and examine the heterogeneous effects and mechanisms of CAV1 in silico. Experimental results indicate a signature of molecules involved in cellular proliferation, cell survival, and cytoskeletal rearrangement that were highly affected by CAV1 knock out. With this comprehensive model of a CD4(+) T-cell, we then validated in vivo protein expression levels. Based on this study, we modeled a CD4(+) T-cell, manipulated gene expression in immunocompromised versus competent settings, validated these manipulations in an in vivo murine model, and corroborated acute T-cell leukemia gene expression profiles in human beings. Moreover, we can model an immunocompetent versus an immunocompromised microenvironment to better understand how signaling is regulated in patients with leukemia.