Interaction of glioma-associated microglia/macrophages and anti-PD1 immunotherapy.

Anti-PD-1-based therapy has resulted in a minimal clinical response in malignant gliomas. Gliomas contain numerous glioma-associated microglia/macrophages (GAMs), reported to contribute to an immunosuppressive microenvironment and promote glioma progression. However, whether and how GAMs affect anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in glioma remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that M1-like GAMs contribute to the anti-PD-1 therapeutic response, while the accumulation of M2-like GAMs is associated with therapeutic resistance. Furthermore, we found that PD-L1 ablation reverses GAMs M2-like phenotype and is beneficial to anti-PD-1 therapy. We also demonstrated that tumor-induced impairment of the antigen-presenting function of GAMs could limit the antitumor immunity of CD4+ T cells in anti-PD-1 therapy. Our study highlights the impact of GAMs activation on anti-PD-1 treatment and provides new insights into the role of GAMs in regulating anti-PD-1 therapy in gliomas.

Blocking ERK-DAPK1 Axis Attenuates Glutamate Excitotoxicity in Epilepsy.

Glutamate excitotoxicity induces neuronal cell death during epileptic seizures. Death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) expression is highly increased in the brains of epilepsy patients; however, the underlying mechanisms by which DAPK1 influences neuronal injury and its therapeutic effect on glutamate excitotoxicity have not been determined. We assessed multiple electroencephalograms and seizure grades and performed biochemical and cell death analyses with cellular and animal models. We applied small molecules and peptides and knocked out and mutated genes to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of kainic acid (KA), an analog of glutamate-induced neuronal damage. KA administration increased DAPK1 activity by promoting its phosphorylation by activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). DAPK1 activation increased seizure severity and neuronal cell death in mice. Selective ERK antagonist treatment, DAPK1 gene ablation, and uncoupling of DAPK1 and ERK peptides led to potent anti-seizure and anti-apoptotic effects in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, a DAPK1 phosphorylation-deficient mutant alleviated glutamate-induced neuronal apoptosis. These results provide novel insight into the pathogenesis of epilepsy and indicate that targeting DAPK1 may be a potential therapeutic strategy for treating epilepsy.

Gαi1 and Gαi3 regulate macrophage polarization by forming a complex containing CD14 and Gab1.

Heterotrimeric G proteins have been implicated in Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling in macrophages and endothelial cells. However, whether guanine nucleotide-binding protein G(i) subunit alpha-1 and alpha-3 (Gαi1/3) are required for LPS responses remains unclear, and if so, the underlying mechanisms need to be studied. In this study, we demonstrated that, in response to LPS, Gαi1/3 form complexes containing the pattern recognition receptor (PRR) CD14 and growth factor receptor binding 2 (Grb2)-associated binding protein (Gab1), which are required for activation of PI3K-Akt signaling. Gαi1/3 deficiency decreased LPS-induced TLR4 endocytosis, which was associated with decreased phosphorylation of IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF3). Gαi1/3 knockdown in bone marrow-derived macrophage cells (Gαi1/3 KD BMDMs) exhibited an M2-like phenotype with significantly suppressed production of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12, and NO in response to LPS. The altered polarization coincided with decreased Akt activation. Further, Gαi1/3 deficiency caused LPS tolerance in mice. In vitro studies revealed that, in LPS-tolerant macrophages, Gαi1/3 were down-regulated partially by the proteasome pathway. Collectively, the present findings demonstrated that Gαi1/3 can interact with CD14/Gab1, which modulates macrophage polarization in vitro and in vivo.

B7-H1 agonists suppress the PI3K/AKT/mtor pathway by degrading p110γ and independently induce cell death.

The biological role of B7-H1 intrinsic signal is reportedly diverse and controversial, its signal pathway remains unclear. Although B7-H1 blocking antibodies were found to have agonist capacity, their binding features and agonist mechanisms need further investigation. Here, by constructing cell strains with full-length or truncated B7-H1, we found that B7-H1 functioned as a receptor to transmit cell death signal from PD-1 protein or anti-B7-H1s through its cytoplasmic domain. Specific binding to the IgV-like domain of B7-H1 was required for the downstream signal. Upon agonists interaction, B7-H1 regulated the degradation of phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) subunit p110γ, subsequently inhibited the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, and significantly increased autophagy. Moreover, B7-H1 agonists also suppressed ubiquitylation in B7-H1+cells by reducing ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1), eventually leading to cell death. Finally, we validated the receptor role of B7-H1 in multiple tumor cells and demonstrated that B7-H1 agonists could suppress tumor progression independent of T cells in vivo. Our findings revealed that B7-H1 agonists functions as a PI3K inhibitor and may offer new strategies for PI3K targeting therapy.

Delicaflavone reactivates anti-tumor immune responses by abrogating monocytic myeloid cell-mediated immunosuppression.

BACKGROUND: Myeloid cell-mediated immunosuppression is a major obstacle to checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. We previously reported that total biflavonoids extract from Selaginella doederleinii (TBESD) and a flavone monomer isolated from TBESD, named Delicaflavone, have favorable anti-tumor activity. However, whether TBESD and Delicaflavone could affect the tumor microenvironment (TME) remains unclear. PURPOSE: In this study, we focused on the TME to determine whether TBESD and Delicaflavone could restore anti-tumor immune response. METHODS: 4T1 tumor-bearing immunocompetent BALB/c mice and T cell-deficient nude mice were used to examine the effect of TBESD on T cell-mediated immunity in vivo. Multi-parameter flow cytometry was conducted to evaluate the impacts of TBESD on TME. Primary cells, including murine CD8+ T cells, tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) were prepared to investigate the modulatory activities of TBESD on immune cells. It was further determined whether Delicaflavone or Amentoflavone, two typical functional biflavones from TBESD, mediated those effects of TBESD. Finally, the impacts of TBESD and Delicaflavone on Jak1/STAT6 signaling pathway were explored via western blot. RESULTS: We found that TBESD significantly reduced 4T1 tumor growth in immunocompetent BALB/c mice, but not in nude mice. This effect was associated with the regulation of TME, shown as an increase in functional T cells and M1 phenotype TAMs (M1-TAMs), and a decrease in M2 phenotype TAMs (M2-TAMs), monocytic-MDSCs (M-MDSCs) and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in TBESD-treated BALB/c mouse 4T1 tumors. It was found ex vivo that TBESD restrained the viability and immunosuppressive properties of M2-TAMs and M-MDSCs, especially for the loss of arginase-1 expression. Additionally, TBESD re-educated M2-TAMs to an M1 like phenotype. Further investigations determined that Delicaflavone predominantly mediated the immuno-modulatory activities of TBESD both ex vivo and in vivo. Finally, Delicaflavone and TBESD blocked Jak1/STAT6 signaling pathway in M2-TAMs and MDSCs. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests Delicaflavone as a potent natural inhibitor of M2-TAMs and MDSCs, which fills the gap in knowledge on the immuno-modulatory effects of TBESD and Delicaflavone, and could have translational implications to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.

Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 Blockade Reduces Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3ß Activity and Tau Hyperphosphorylation in Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Models.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a central nervous system degenerative disease, with no effective treatment to date. Administration of immune checkpoint inhibitors significantly reduces neuronal damage and tau hyperphosphorylation in AD, but the specific mechanism is unclear. Here, we found that programmed cell death-receptor 1 (PD1) and its ligand PDL1 were induced by an intracerebroventricular injection of amyloid-ß; they were significantly upregulated in the brains of APP/PS1, 5×FAD mice and in SH-SY5Y-APP cell line compared with control. The PD1 and PDL1 levels positively correlated with the glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3ß) activity in various AD mouse models, and the PDL1-GSK3ß immune complex was found in the brain. The application of PD1-blocking antibody reduced tau hyperphosphorylation and GSK3ß activity and prevented memory impairments. Mechanistically, we identified PD1 as a critical regulator of GSK3ß activity. These results suggest that the immune regulation of the PD1/PDL1 axis is closely involved in AD.

Inhibition of Death-associated Protein Kinase 1 protects against Epileptic Seizures in mice.

Epilepsy is a chronic encephalopathy and one of the most common neurological disorders. Death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) expression has been shown to be upregulated in the brains of human epilepsy patients compared with those of normal subjects. However, little is known about the impact of DAPK1 on epileptic seizure conditions. In this study, we aim to clarify whether and how DAPK1 is regulated in epilepsy and whether targeting DAPK1 expression or activity has a protective effect against epilepsy using seizure animal models. Here, we found that cortical and hippocampal DAPK1 activity but not DAPK1 expression was increased immediately after convulsive pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) exposure in mice. However, DAPK1 overexpression was found after chronic low-dose PTZ insults during the kindling paradigm. The suppression of DAPK1 expression by genetic knockout significantly reduced PTZ-induced seizure phenotypes and the development of kindled seizures. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of DAPK1 activity exerted rapid antiepileptic effects in both acute and chronic epilepsy mouse models. Mechanistically, PTZ stimulated the phosphorylation of NR2B through DAPK1 activation. Combined together, these results suggest that DAPK1 regulation is a novel mechanism for the control of both acute and chronic epilepsy and provide new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of human epilepsy.

A DNA electrochemical biosensor based on triplex DNA-templated Ag/Pt nanoclusters for the detection of single-nucleotide variant.

A label-free electrochemical biosensor based on the triplex DNA-templated Ag/Pt bimetallic nanoclusters (triplex-Ag/PtNCs) and locked nucleic acid (LNA) modified X-shaped DNA probe was developed for the detection of single-nucleotide variant (SNV) related to ß-thalassemia. Firstly, using triplex DNA as template, a site-specific and homogeneous Ag/PtNCs was prepared, which can effectively catalyze the 3,3,5,5-tetramethylbenzidine-H2O2 system and thus be employed as a signal reporter in the field of electrochemical biosensor. Secondly, the LNA modified X-shaped probes were assembled on gold electrode surface, which can only be dissociated in the presence of target, leading to the hybridization with triplex-Ag/PtNCs and significant increase of current signal. In this way, the detection limit for SNV of ß-thalassemia was 0.8 fM with variant allele frequency (VAF) as low as 0.0001%.

Simultaneous quantification of five biflavonoids in rat plasma by LC-ESI-MS/MS and its application to a comparatively pharmacokinetic study of Selaginella doederleinii Hieron extract in rats.

Selaginella doederleinii Hieron is a widely used as folk Chinese medicine for treatment of different cancers. Our previous investigations have confirmed that the total biflavonoids in ethyl acetate extract from S. doederleinii (SDEA) have favorable anticancer potentials. However, the in vivo process of its bioactive ingredients remains unknown. In this paper, a sensitive and reliable method was developed for simultaneous quantification of main five biflavonoids, including amentoflavone, robustaflavone, 2″,3″-dihydro-3',3″-biapigenin, 3',3″-binaringenin and delicaflavone in the ethyl acetate extract of S. doederleinii (SDEA extract) in rat plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). Chromatographic separation was performed using an Ultimate® XB-C18 (100×2.1mm, 3.5µm) with gradient elution of water (0.5% acetic acid) and acetonitrile at 0.2mL/min. All analytes with internal standard (chrysin) were detected using selective reaction monitoring (SRM) in negative ionization mode. The method showed a good linearity over a wide concentration range (r2>0.99). The limits of quantification for the biflavonoids were less than 10ng/mL. The developed method was applied to the comparatively pharmacokinetic study of the five biflavonoids after oral or intravenous administration of SDEA extract in rats. In addition, in silico assessments of permeability and solubility of these biflavonoids were also performed to understand their poor bioavailability. It is the first time to report the in vivo process profiles of the biflavonoids of SDEA extract in rats.

Pretreatment with lipopolysaccharide attenuates diethylnitrosamine-caused liver injury in mice via TLR4-dependent induction of Kupffer cell M2 polarization.

In this study, we found that pretreatment with low dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), also known as lipoglycans and endotoxin, obviously attenuated liver injury caused by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) in mice. This protective effect was described by decreased ALT, TNF-α, and IL-1ß and increased TGF-ß production. However, Toll-like receptor 4-deficient (TLR4(-/-)) or macrophages depletion abolished this protection in mice, which revealed Kupffer cells (KCs) and TLR4 to be crucial for the prevention of LPS against DEN-induced damage. Further study revealed that LPS pretreatment induced the KCs to M2 polarization and impaired the signaling of MAPKs and NF-κB that mediated the production of inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, T regulatory cells (Tregs) were also recruited to the liver, which may mediate immunosuppression and participate in the prevention of DEN-induced injury. Our results suggested that LPS protected against DEN-induced hepatitis via induction of M2 Kupffer cells and recruitment of Tregs, which contributes to liver tolerance in TLR4-dependent mechanism.

The synthetic melanocortin (CKPV)2 exerts anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory effects against Candida albicans vaginitis via inducing macrophage M2 polarization.

In this study, we examined anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory effects of the synthetic melanocortin peptide (Ac-Cys-Lys-Pro-Val-NH2)2 or (CKPV)2 against Candida albicans vaginitis. Our in vitro results showed that (CKPV)2 dose-dependently inhibited Candida albicans colonies formation. In a rat Candida albicans vaginitis model, (CKPV)2 significantly inhibited vaginal Candida albicans survival and macrophages sub-epithelial mucosa infiltration. For mechanisms study, we observed that (CKPV)2 inhibited macrophages phagocytosis of Candida albicans. Meanwhile, (CKPV)2 administration inhibited macrophage pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6) release, while increasing the arginase activity and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 production, suggesting macrophages M1 to M2 polarization. Cyclic AMP (cAMP) production was also induced by (CKPV)2 administration in macrophages. These above effects on macrophages by (CKPV)2 were almost reversed by melanocortin receptor-1(MC1R) siRNA knockdown, indicating the requirement of MC1R in the process. Altogether, our results suggest that (CKPV)2 exerted anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory activities against Candida albicans vaginitis probably through inducing macrophages M1 to M2 polarization and MC1R activation.