Preclinical Evaluation of Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Modified T Cells Specific to Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule for Treating Colorectal Cancer.

Chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells (CAR-T cells) have emerged as a promising cancer immunotherapy for solid tumors. Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is overexpressed in a variety of tumors and is recognized as a biomarker for circulating tumor cells and cancer stem cells, representing an attractive target for adoptive T-cell immunotherapy. This study generated third-generation CAR-T cells with redirected specificity to EpCAM (EpCAM CAR-T) by lentiviral vector. The study demonstrated that EpCAM CAR-T cells can elicit lytic cytotoxicity to target cells in an EpCAM-dependent manner and secrete cytotoxic cytokines, including interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Furthermore, adoptive transfer of EpCAM CAR-T cells significantly delayed tumor growth and formation in xenograft models. In addition, the safety evaluation showed that CAR-T cells have no systemic toxicity in mice. The data confirmed the antitumor ability and safety of CAR-T cells targeting EpCAM and may provide a new target for CAR-T cell therapies in treating solid tumors.

A high-content screen for small-molecule regulators of epithelial cell-adhesion molecule (EpCAM) cleavage yields a robust inhibitor.

Epithelial cell-adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a transmembrane protein that regulates cell cycle progression and differentiation and is overexpressed in many carcinomas. The EpCAM-induced mitogenic cascade is activated via regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIP) of EpCAM by ADAM and γ-secretases, generating the signaling-active intracellular domain EpICD. Because of its expression pattern and molecular function, EpCAM is a valuable target in prognostic and therapeutic approaches for various carcinomas. So far, several immunotherapeutic strategies have targeted the extracellular domain of EpCAM. However, targeting the intracellular signaling cascade of EpCAM holds promise for specifically interfering with EpCAM's proliferation-stimulating signaling cascade. Here, using a yellow fluorescence protein-tagged version of the C-terminal fragment of EpCAM, we established a high-content screening (HCS) of a small-molecule compound library (n = 27,280) and characterized validated hits that target EpCAM signaling. In total, 128 potential inhibitors were initially identified, of which one compound with robust inhibitory effects on RIP of EpCAM was analyzed in greater detail. In summary, our study demonstrates that the development of an HCS for small-molecule inhibitors of the EpCAM signaling pathway is feasible. We propose that this approach may also be useful for identifying chemical compounds targeting other disorders involving membrane cleavage-dependent signaling pathways.

Formulation and Cytotoxicity of Ribosome-Inactivating Protein Mirabilis Jalapa L. Nanoparticles Using Alginate-Low Viscosity Chitosan Conjugated with Anti-Epcam Antibodies in the T47D Breast Cancer Cell Line.

Ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) from Mirabilis jalapa L. leaves has cytotoxic effects on breast cancer cell lines but is less toxic towards normal cells. However, it can easily be degraded after administration so it needs to be formulated into nanoparticles to increase its resistance to enzymatic degradation. The objectives of this study were to develop a protein extract of M. jalapa L. leaves (RIP-MJ) incorporated into nanoparticles conjugated with Anti-EpCAM antibodies, and to determine its cytotoxicity and selectivity in the T47D breast cancer cell line. RIP-MJ was extracted from red-flowered M. jalapa L. leaves. Nanoparticles were formulated based on polyelectrolyte complexation using low viscosity chitosan and alginate, then chemically conjugated with anti-EpCAM antibody using EDAC based on carbodiimide reaction. RIP-MJ nanoparticles were characterised for the particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, particle morphology, and entrapment efficiency. The cytotoxicity of RIP-MJ nanoparticles against T47D and Vero cells was then determined with MTT assay. The optimal formula of RIP-MJ nanoparticles was obtained at the concentration of RIP-MJ, low viscosity chitosan and alginate respectively 0.05%, 1%, and 0.4% (m/v). RIP-MJ nanoparticles are hexagonal with high entrapment efficiency of 98.6%, average size of 130.7 nm, polydispersity index of 0.380 and zeta potential +26.33 mV. The IC50 values of both anti-EpCAM-conjugated and non-conjugated RIP-MJ nanoparticles for T47D cells (13.3 and 14.9 µg/mL) were lower than for Vero cells (27.8 and 33.6 µg/mL). The IC50 values of conjugated and non- conjugated RIP-MJ for both cells were much lower than IC50 values of non-formulated RIP-MJ (>500 µg/mL).