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1.
Pediatr Dermatol ; 2023 Nov 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37983948

ABSTRACT

The formation of penile keloid after circumcision is an uncommon complication. Herein, we report two pediatric cases of large circumferential keloids that developed post-circumcision and were successfully treated by surgical excision and intralesional triamcinolone injections. In addition, we provide a comprehensive review of the reported cases of penile keloids that developed after circumcision in the literature to highlight the various presentations, treatment options, and outcomes for this condition.

4.
Clin Plast Surg ; 48(4): 551-560, 2021 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34503716

ABSTRACT

Melanoma is the most lethal type of skin cancer, originating from the uncontrolled proliferation of melanocytes. The transformation of normal melanocytes into malignant tumor cells has been a focus of research seeking to better understand melanoma's pathogenesis and develop new therapeutic targets. Over the past few decades, a conglomeration of studies has pinpointed several driver mutations and their associated signaling pathways. In this review, we summarize the key signaling pathways and the driver mutations involved in melanoma tumorigenesis and also discuss the potential underlying mechanisms.


Subject(s)
Melanoma , Skin Neoplasms , Humans , Melanocytes , Melanoma/genetics , Signal Transduction , Skin Neoplasms/genetics
5.
Sci Rep ; 11(1): 6392, 2021 03 18.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33737574

ABSTRACT

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) induced by human papillomavirus (HPV) have increased recently in the US. However, the distinct alterations of molecules involved in the death pathways and drug effects targeting inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) have not been extensively characterized in HPV(+) HNSCC cells. In this study, we observed the distinct genomic and expression alterations of nine genes involved in cell death in 55% HNSCC tissues, which were associated with HPV status, tumor staging, and anatomic locations. Expression of four genes was statistically correlated with copy number variation. A panel of HPV(+) HNSCC lines showed abundant TRAILR2 and IAP1 protein expression, but were not sensitive to IAP inhibitor birinapant alone, while combinatory treatment with TNFα or especially TRAIL enhanced this drug sensitivity. The death agonistic TRAILR2 antibody alone showed no cell inhibitory effects, whereas its combination with birinapant and/or TRAIL protein demonstrated additive or synergistic effects. We observed predominantly late apoptosis mode of cell death after combinatorial treatments, and pan-caspase (ZVAD) and caspase-8 (ZIETD) inhibitors attenuated treatment-induced cell death. Our genomic and expression data-driven study provides a framework for identifying relevant combinatorial therapies targeting death pathways in HPV(+) HNSCC and other squamous cancer types.


Subject(s)
Baculoviral IAP Repeat-Containing 3 Protein/genetics , Dipeptides/pharmacology , Indoles/pharmacology , Receptors, TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand/genetics , Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/drug therapy , Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Apoptosis/drug effects , Caspase 8/genetics , Cell Death/drug effects , Cell Death/genetics , Cell Line, Tumor , DNA Copy Number Variations/genetics , Female , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects , Humans , Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins/genetics , Male , Papillomaviridae/pathogenicity , Papillomavirus Infections/complications , Papillomavirus Infections/drug therapy , Papillomavirus Infections/virology , Receptors, TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand/agonists , Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/complications , Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/genetics , Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/pathology , TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand/genetics , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics
6.
Arch Dermatol Res ; 313(1): 1-10, 2021 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32519001

ABSTRACT

In addition to its quintessential role in bone homeostasis, vitamin D also plays an important role in regulating the immune system. As such, many studies have demonstrated the therapeutic benefit of vitamin D in treating autoimmune diseases. This immunomodulatory activity of vitamin D has recently attracted more attention due to the rapid development of immunotherapies for cancers, including melanoma. Patients on cancer immunotherapies can suffer from immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which can involve any organ system and range from common dermatological reactions to extremely severe cases of fatal myocarditis in metastatic melanoma patients. Since there are currently no effective approaches to predict or prevent irAEs, it is attractive to potentially leverage the intriguing immunomodulatory effects of vitamin D within this context. This review will discuss recent research investigating the possibility of using vitamin D to alleviate autoimmunity and irAEs with the hope of improving outcomes for patients on cancer immunotherapies, especially within the context of dermatology.


Subject(s)
Autoimmune Diseases/drug therapy , Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions/prevention & control , Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/adverse effects , Skin Neoplasms/drug therapy , Vitamin D/administration & dosage , Autoimmune Diseases/genetics , Autoimmune Diseases/immunology , Autoimmunity/drug effects , Clinical Trials as Topic , Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions/immunology , Humans , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Receptors, Calcitriol/genetics , Receptors, Calcitriol/metabolism , Skin Neoplasms/immunology , Treatment Outcome , Vitamin D/metabolism , Vitamin D Deficiency/diet therapy , Vitamin D Deficiency/immunology
7.
J Interferon Cytokine Res ; 40(8): 418-424, 2020 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32813604

ABSTRACT

Interleukin (IL)-17A is a key proinflammatory cytokine indicated in multiple pathologies, including skin tumorigenesis. While IL-17A is a signature cytokine of Th17 cells, IL-17A is also produced by other cell types, including type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) in the skin, particularly in patients with psoriasis. Interestingly, we detect CD45+Lin-(CD3-CD14-CD19-CD20-) IL-17A+ cells in the cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCCs) by flow cytometry of the cell suspensions prepared from tumor tissues. Consistently, we found CD3-IL-17+ cells in tumor tissue of skin cSCCs by immunohistochemistry staining of serial sections of SCCs from both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients (e.g., transplant patients on iatrogenic long-term immunosuppressive therapy). In several immunocompromised patients, the CD3-IL-17+ cells consist of over 90% of the total IL-17+ cells in the tumor tissue. Furthermore, these CD3-IL-17+ cells are negatively stained for SMA, CD11b, and CD19, suggesting that they are unlikely to be fibroblast, myeloid cells, or B cells. Taken together, we found a population of lineage-negative IL-17A-producing cells present in the cSCCs, which share the "CD45+Lin-" features with ILCs. This study suggests that IL-17A can be produced by immune cell populations other than T cells in skin SCCs.


Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism , Interleukin-17/biosynthesis , Skin Neoplasms/metabolism , T-Lymphocyte Subsets/metabolism , Biomarkers , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/immunology , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/therapy , Cell Lineage , Cytokines/metabolism , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Skin Neoplasms/immunology , Skin Neoplasms/pathology , Skin Neoplasms/therapy , T-Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology
8.
Cancer Inform ; 18: 1176935119880516, 2019.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31631960

ABSTRACT

DNA methylation plays a significant role in regulating the expression of certain genes in both cancerous and normal breast tissues. It is therefore important to study within-sample co-methylation, ie, methylation patterns between consecutive sites in a chromosome. In this article, we develop 2 new methods to compare co-methylation patterns between normal and cancerous breast samples. In particular, we investigate the co-methylation patterns of 4 different methylation states/levels separately. Using these 2 methods, we focus on addressing the following questions: How often does 1 methylation state change to other methylation states and how is this change dependent on chromosome distance? What co-methylation patterns do normal and cancerous breast samples have? Do genomic sites with different methylation states/levels have different co-methylation patterns? Our results show that cancerous and normal co-methylation patterns are significantly different. We find that this difference exists even when the physical distance of 2 sites are less than 50 bases. Breast cancer cell lines tend to remain in the same methylation state more often than normal samples, especially for the no/low or high/full methylation states. We also find that the co-methylation region lengths for various methylation states (no/low, partial, and high/full methylation states) are very different. For example, the co-methylation region lengths for partial methylation regions are shorter than the unmethylated or fully methylated regions. Our research may provide a deep understanding of co-methylation patterns. These co-methylation patterns will aid in discovering and understanding new methylation events that may be related to novel biomarkers.

9.
BioData Min ; 12: 9, 2019.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31086568

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: DNA methylation is an epigenetic event that may regulate gene expression. Because of this regulation role, aberrant DNA methylation is often associated with many diseases. Within-sample DNA co-methylation is the similarity of methylation in nearby cytosine sites of a chromosome. It is important to study co-methylation patterns. However, it is not well studied yet, and it is unclear to us what co-methylation patterns normal DNA samples have. Are the co-methylation patterns of the same tissue across several samples different? Are the co-methylation patterns of various tissues of the same sample different? To answer these questions, we conduct analyses using two sets of data: 3-sample-1-tissue (3S1T) and 1-sample-8-tissue (1S8T). RESULTS: To study the co-methylation patterns of the two datasets, 3S1T and 1S8T, we investigate the following questions: How often does one methylation state change to other methylation states and how is this change associated with chromosome distance? Based on the 3S1T data, we find there is not significant co-methylation difference among the same spleen tissues of three different samples. However, the analysis results of 1S8T data show that there were significant differences among eight tissues of one sample. For both 3S1T and 1S8T data, we find that the no/low methylation state A and high/full methylation state D tend to remain the same along a chromosome region. We also find that the low/partial methylation state B and partial/high methylation state C tend to change to higher methylation states along a chromosome. Finally, we find that lengths of most co-methylation regions are very short with only a few hundred base pairs. In fact, only a small proportion of methylated regions are longer than 1000 base pairs. CONCLUSIONS: In this paper, we have addressed a few questions regarding within-sample co-methylation patterns in normal tissues. Our statistical analysis results and answers may help researchers to better understand the biological process of DNA methylation. This may pave the way to develop better analysis methods for future methylation research.

10.
JCI Insight ; 4(7)2019 04 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30944253

ABSTRACT

Recruitment of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) into tumors induces local immunosuppression in carcinomas. Here, we assessed whether SX-682, an orally bioavailable small-molecule inhibitor of CXCR1 and CXCR2, could block tumor MDSC recruitment and enhance T cell activation and antitumor immunity following multiple forms of immunotherapy. CXCR2+ neutrophilic MDSCs (PMN-MDSCs) were the most abundant myeloid cell subset within oral and lung syngeneic carcinomas. PMN-MDSCs demonstrated greater suppression of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte killing of targets compared with macrophages. SX-682 significantly inhibited trafficking of PMN-MDSCs without altering CXCR2 ligand expression. Trafficking of CXCR1+ macrophages was unaltered, possibly due to coexpression of CSF1R. Reduced PMN-MDSC tumor infiltration correlated with enhanced accumulation of endogenous or adoptively transferred T cells. Accordingly, tumor growth inhibition or the rate of established tumor rejection following programed death-axis (PD-axis) immune checkpoint blockade or adoptive cell transfer of engineered T cells was enhanced in combination with SX-682. Despite CXCR1/2 expression on tumor cells, SX-682 appeared to have little direct antitumor effect on these carcinoma models. These data suggest that tumor-infiltrating CXCR2+ PMN-MDSCs may prevent optimal responses following both PD-axis immune checkpoint blockade and adoptive T cell transfer therapy. Abrogation of PMN-MDSC trafficking with SX-682 enhances T cell-based immunotherapeutic efficacy and may be of benefit to patients with MDSC-infiltrated cancers.


Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/pharmacology , Carcinoma/therapy , Cell Movement/drug effects , Lung Neoplasms/therapy , Mouth Neoplasms/therapy , Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells/drug effects , Animals , Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/therapeutic use , Carcinoma/immunology , Carcinoma/pathology , Cell Line, Tumor/transplantation , Cell Movement/immunology , Combined Modality Therapy/methods , Disease Models, Animal , Humans , Immune Tolerance/drug effects , Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods , Lung Neoplasms/immunology , Lung Neoplasms/pathology , Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/immunology , Mice , Mouth Neoplasms/immunology , Mouth Neoplasms/pathology , Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells/immunology , Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells/metabolism , Neutrophils/immunology , Neutrophils/metabolism , Receptors, Interleukin-8A/antagonists & inhibitors , Receptors, Interleukin-8A/immunology , Receptors, Interleukin-8A/metabolism , Receptors, Interleukin-8B/antagonists & inhibitors , Receptors, Interleukin-8B/immunology , Receptors, Interleukin-8B/metabolism , T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology , T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/transplantation , Tumor Microenvironment/drug effects , Tumor Microenvironment/immunology
11.
JAMA Dermatol ; 155(4): 442-447, 2019 04 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30810715

ABSTRACT

Importance: It has previously been demonstrated that immunosuppressed patients with cutaneous squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (cSCC-HN) treated with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy have significantly inferior disease-related outcomes compared with immunocompetent patients, but data on outcomes after disease recurrence are limited. Objectives: To report survival outcomes in patients with cSCC-HN after disease recurrence after surgery and postoperative radiotherapy and to investigate the association of immune status with disease-related outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants: A multi-institutional study of 205 patients treated at the Cleveland Clinic, Washington University in St Louis, and the University of California, San Francisco, in which patients who underwent surgical resection and postoperative radiotherapy for primary or recurrent stage I to IV (nonmetastatic) cSCC-HN between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2014, were identified. Patients with any disease recurrence, defined as local, regional, and/or distant failure, were included. Patients were categorized as immunosuppressed if they received a diagnosis of chronic hematologic malignant neoplasm or HIV or AIDS, or were treated with immunosuppressive therapy for organ transplantation 6 months or more before diagnosis. Statistical analysis was conducted from January 1, 1995, to December 31, 2015. Main Outcomes and Measures: Overall survival calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Results: Of the 205 patients in the original cohort, 72 patients (63 men and 9 women; median age, 71 years [range, 43-91 years]) developed disease recurrence after surgery and postoperative radiotherapy. Forty patients (55.6%) were immunosuppressed, and 32 patients (44.4%) were immunocompetent. Locoregional recurrence was the most common first pattern of failure for both groups (31 immunosuppressed patients [77.5%]; 21 immunocompetent patients [65.6%]). After any recurrence, 1-year overall survival was 43.2% (95% CI, 30.9%-55.4%), and median survival was 8.4 months. For patients for whom information on salvage treatment was available (n = 45), those not amenable to surgical salvage had significantly poorer median cumulative incidence of survival compared with those who were amenable to surgical salvage (4.7 months; 95% CI, 3.7-7.0 months vs 26.1 months; 95% CI, 6.6 months to not reached; P = .01), regardless of their immune status. Conclusions and Relevance: Results of this study suggest that patients with cSCC-HN who experience disease recurrence after definitive treatment with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy have poor survival, irrespective of immune status. Survival rates are low for patients with recurrent disease that is not amenable to surgical salvage. The low rate of successful salvage underscores the importance of intensifying upfront treatment to prevent recurrence.


Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/mortality , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/therapy , Head and Neck Neoplasms/mortality , Head and Neck Neoplasms/therapy , Skin Neoplasms/mortality , Skin Neoplasms/therapy , Academic Medical Centers , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology , Cohort Studies , Combined Modality Therapy/methods , Disease-Free Survival , Female , Head and Neck Neoplasms/pathology , Humans , Kaplan-Meier Estimate , Male , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Invasiveness/pathology , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/mortality , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/pathology , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/therapy , Neoplasm Staging , Prognosis , Proportional Hazards Models , Retrospective Studies , Risk Assessment , Salvage Therapy , Skin Neoplasms/pathology , Statistics, Nonparametric , Survival Analysis , Treatment Outcome , United States
12.
Oncoimmunology ; 7(10): e1488359, 2018.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30288354

ABSTRACT

Intrinsic resistance to cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) killing limits responses to immune activating anti-cancer therapies. Here, we established that activation of the G2/M cell cycle checkpoint results in tumor cell cycle pause and protection from granzyme B-induced cell death. This was reversed with WEE1 kinase inhibition, leading to enhanced CTL killing of antigen-positive tumor cells. Similarly, but at a later time point, cell cycle pause following TNFα exposure was reversed with WEE1 kinase inhibition, leading to CTL transmembrane TNFα-dependent induction of apoptosis and necroptosis in bystander antigen-negative tumor cells. Results were reproducible in models of oral cavity carcinoma, melanoma and colon adenocarcinoma harboring variable Tp53 genomic alterations. WEE1 kinase inhibition sensitized tumors to PD-1 mAb immune checkpoint blockade in vivo, resulting in CD8+-dependent rejection of established tumors harboring antigen-positive or mixed antigen-positive and negative tumor cells. Together, these data describe activation of the G2/M cell cycle checkpoint in response to early and late CTL products as a mechanism of resistance to CTL killing, and provide pre-clinical rationale for the clinical combination of agents that inhibit cell cycle checkpoints and activate anti-tumor immunity.

13.
J Immunother Cancer ; 6(1): 59, 2018 06 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29925431

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Natural killer (NK) cells recognize and lyse target tumor cells in an MHC-unrestricted fashion and complement antigen- and MHC-restricted killing by T-lymphocytes. NK cells and T-lymphocytes mediate early killing of targets through a common granzyme B-dependent mechanism. Tumor cell resistance to granzyme B and how this alters NK cell killing is not clearly defined. METHODS: Tumor cell sensitivity to cultured murine KIL and human high affinity NK (haNK) cells in the presence or absence of AZD1775, a small molecule inhibitor of WEE1 kinase, was assessed via real time impedance analysis. Mechanisms of enhanced sensitivity to NK lysis were determined and in vivo validation via adoptive transfer of KIL cells into syngeneic mice was performed. RESULTS: Cultured murine KIL cells lyse murine oral cancer 2 (MOC2) cell targets more efficiently than freshly isolated peripheral murine NK cells. MOC2 sensitivity to granzyme B-dependent KIL cell lysis was enhanced by inhibition of WEE1 kinase, reversing G2/M cell cycle checkpoint activation and resulting in enhanced DNA damage and apoptosis. Treatment of MOC2 tumor-bearing wild-type C57BL/6 mice with AZD1775 and adoptively transferred KIL cells resulted in enhanced tumor growth control and survival over controls or either treatment alone. Validating these findings in human models, WEE1 kinase inhibition sensitized two human head and neck cancer cell lines to direct lysis by haNK cells. Further, WEE1 kinase inhibition sensitized these cell lines to antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity when combined with the anti-PD-L1 IgG1 mAb Avelumab. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor cell resistance to granzyme B-induced cell death can be reversed through inhibition of WEE1 kinase as AZD1775 sensitized both murine and human head and neck cancer cells to NK lysis. These data provide the pre-clinical rationale for the combination of small molecules that reverse cell cycle checkpoint activation and NK cellular therapies.


Subject(s)
Cell Cycle Checkpoints/drug effects , Cell Cycle Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors , Head and Neck Neoplasms/immunology , Immunotherapy , Killer Cells, Natural/drug effects , Killer Cells, Natural/immunology , Nuclear Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors , Animals , Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity/genetics , Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity/immunology , Biomarkers , Cell Line, Tumor , Combined Modality Therapy , Cytotoxicity, Immunologic/genetics , DNA Damage , Granzymes/genetics , Head and Neck Neoplasms/metabolism , Head and Neck Neoplasms/pathology , Head and Neck Neoplasms/therapy , Humans , Immunotherapy/methods , Killer Cells, Natural/metabolism , Mice , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use
14.
Oncoimmunology ; 7(7): e1404216, 2018.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29900037

ABSTRACT

Loss or mutation of TP53 has been linked to alterations in anti-tumor immunity as well as dysregulation of cell cycle and apoptosis. We explored immunologic effects and mechanisms following restoration of wild-type human TP53 cDNA in murine oral cancer cells using the therapeutic nanocomplex scL-53. We demonstrated scL-53 induces dose-dependent expression of TP53 and induction of apoptosis and immunogenic cell death. We further demonstrated both TP53-dependent and independent induction of tumor cell immunogenicity through the use of blocking mAbs, nanocomplex loaded with DNA plasmid with or without TP53 cDNA, empty nanocomplex and siRNA knockdown techniques. TP53-independent immune modulation was observed following treatment with nanocomplex loaded with DNA plasmid lacking TP53 cDNA and abrogated in STING-deficient tumor cells, supporting the presence of a cytoplasmic DNA sensing, STING-dependent type-I IFN response. Cooperatively, TP53- and STING-dependent alterations sensitized tumor cells to CTL-mediated lysis, which was further enhanced following reversal of adaptive immune resistance with PD-1 mAb. In vivo, combination scL-53 and PD-1 mAb resulted in growth control or rejection of established tumors that was abrogated in mice depleted of CD8+ cells or in STING deficient mice. Cumulatively, this work demonstrates 1) a direct anti-tumor effects of functional TP53; 2) non-redundant TP53- and STING-dependent induction of tumor cell immunogenicity following scL-53 treatment; and 3) that adaptive immune resistance following scL-53 treatment can be reversed with PD-based immune checkpoint blockade, resulting in the rejection or control of syngeneic murine tumors. These data strongly support the clinical combination of scL-53 and immune checkpoint blockade.

15.
J Immunother Cancer ; 6(1): 36, 2018 05 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29764498

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Talimogene Laherparepvec (T-VEC) is an oncolytic virus approved as an intratumoral therapy for treating unresectable stage IIIB-IV metastatic melanoma. The mechanisms of action for T-VEC and checkpoint inhibitor are highly complementary. Recent studies have shown that combining checkpoint inhibitor therapy with T-VEC injection can lead to improved response rates for stage IIIB-IV melanoma patients. METHODS: We reviewed 10 consecutive cases of stage IIIC to stage IVM1b melanoma patients that received T-VEC plus checkpoint inhibitor(s) therapy (pembrolizumab, ipilimumab/nivolumab, or nivolumab) treated between June 2016 and August 2017 at the Cleveland Clinic with a median follow-up of 7 months (range: 4 to 13 months). Responses of injected (on-target) and uninjected (off-target) lesions were evaluated according to RECIST 2.0. RESULTS: The overall response rate for on-target lesions was 90%, with 6 patients experiencing a complete response in injected lesions. Two patients had off-target lesions, which were completely resolved after treatment. Blood samples were tested for 3 complete responders and 2 partial responders. CD4:CD8 ratio and frequencies of circulating PD1+ CD4 and CD8 T cells were elevated in complete responders but not partial responders. One patient died due to causes unrelated to melanoma and one patient died of progression of the disease. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that combining checkpoint inhibitor(s) with T-VEC injection may provide a synergistic efficacy for patients with unresectable melanoma. We observed a better overall response rate and complete response rate compared to published studies on similar therapeutic regimens.


Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/therapeutic use , Biological Products/therapeutic use , Immunotherapy/methods , Melanoma/drug therapy , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/pharmacology , Biological Products/pharmacology , Female , Herpesvirus 1, Human , Humans , Male , Melanoma/pathology , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Staging
16.
Mol Pharmacol ; 94(2): 850-861, 2018 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29769246

ABSTRACT

Conventional drug discovery efforts at the ß2-adrenoceptor (ß2AR) have led to the development of ligands that bind almost exclusively to the receptor's hormone-binding orthosteric site. However, targeting the largely unexplored and evolutionarily unique allosteric sites has potential for developing more specific drugs with fewer side effects than orthosteric ligands. Using our recently developed approach for screening G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) with DNA-encoded small-molecule libraries, we have discovered and characterized the first ß2AR small-molecule positive allosteric modulators (PAMs)-compound (Cmpd)-6 [(R)-N-(4-amino-1-(4-(tert-butyl)phenyl)-4-oxobutan-2-yl)-5-(N-isopropyl-N-methylsulfamoyl)-2-((4-methoxyphenyl)thio)benzamide] and its analogs. We used purified human ß2ARs, occupied by a high-affinity agonist, for the affinity-based screening of over 500 million distinct library compounds, which yielded Cmpd-6. It exhibits a low micro-molar affinity for the agonist-occupied ß2AR and displays positive cooperativity with orthosteric agonists, thereby enhancing their binding to the receptor and ability to stabilize its active state. Cmpd-6 is cooperative with G protein and ß-arrestin1 (a.k.a. arrestin2) to stabilize high-affinity, agonist-bound active states of the ß2AR and potentiates downstream cAMP production and receptor recruitment of ß-arrestin2 (a.k.a. arrestin3). Cmpd-6 is specific for the ß2AR compared with the closely related ß1AR. Structure-activity studies of select Cmpd-6 analogs defined the chemical groups that are critical for its biologic activity. We thus introduce the first small-molecule PAMs for the ß2AR, which may serve as a lead molecule for the development of novel therapeutics. The approach described in this work establishes a broadly applicable proof-of-concept strategy for affinity-based discovery of small-molecule allosteric compounds targeting unique conformational states of GPCRs.


Subject(s)
Adrenergic beta-2 Receptor Agonists/metabolism , Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2/chemistry , Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2/metabolism , Small Molecule Libraries/pharmacology , Allosteric Regulation/drug effects , Allosteric Site/drug effects , Drug Synergism , GTP-Binding Proteins/metabolism , Gene Library , Molecular Structure , Small Molecule Libraries/chemistry , Structure-Activity Relationship , Substrate Specificity , beta-Arrestin 1/metabolism
17.
Oncoimmunology ; 7(3): e1395996, 2018.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29399393

ABSTRACT

Preclinical evidence suggests that high-dose hypofractionated ionizing radiation (IR) can enhance anti-tumor immunity and result in significant tumor control when combined with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). However, low-dose daily fractioned IR used for many tumor types including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma results in lymphopenia and may be immunosuppressive. We compared immune correlates, primary tumor and abscopal tumor control rates following the addition of PD-1 mAb to either high-dose hypofractioned (8Gyx2) or low-dose daily fractionated (2Gyx10) IR in syngeneic models of cancer. When compared to 2Gyx10 IR, 8Gyx2 IR preserved peripheral and tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T-lymphocyte accumulation and activation and reduced peripheral and tumor gMDSC accumulation. Regulatory T-lymphocytes were largely unaltered. Type I and I IFN levels and expression of IFN-responsive MHC class I and PD-L1 was enhanced in tumors treated with 8Gyx2 compared to 2Gyx10 IR. Functionally, tumor-specific CD8+ T-lymphocyte IFN responses within tumor draining lymph nodes were enhanced following 8Gyx2 IR but suppressed following 2Gyx10 IR. When combined with PD-1 mAb, reversal of adaptive immune resistance and subsequent enhancement of CD8+ cell dependent primary and abscopal tumor control was observed following 8Gyx2 but not 2Gyx10 IR. These data strongly support that compared to daily fractionated low-dose IR, high-dose hypofractionated IR preserves or enhances anti-tumor immunity and, when combined with PD-1 mAb to reverse adaptive immune resistance, promotes anti-tumor immunity to control primary and distant tumors. These data critically inform the rational design of trials combining IR and ICB.

18.
Immunity ; 46(2): 165-167, 2017 02 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28228272

ABSTRACT

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF or Csf-2) is a pro-inflammatory mediator implicated in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune diseases. In this issue of Immunity, Spath et al. (2017) show that the dysregulated production of GM-CSF rather than IL-17 induces spontaneous immunopathology in a mouse model of CNS inflammation.


Subject(s)
Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor , Interleukin-17 , Animals , Inflammation
19.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 114(7): 1708-1713, 2017 02 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28130548

ABSTRACT

The ß2-adrenergic receptor (ß2AR) has been a model system for understanding regulatory mechanisms of G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) actions and plays a significant role in cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. Because all known ß-adrenergic receptor drugs target the orthosteric binding site of the receptor, we set out to isolate allosteric ligands for this receptor by panning DNA-encoded small-molecule libraries comprising 190 million distinct compounds against purified human ß2AR. Here, we report the discovery of a small-molecule negative allosteric modulator (antagonist), compound 15 [([4-((2S)-3-(((S)-3-(3-bromophenyl)-1-(methylamino)-1-oxopropan-2-yl)amino)-2-(2-cyclohexyl-2-phenylacetamido)-3-oxopropyl)benzamide], exhibiting a unique chemotype and low micromolar affinity for the ß2AR. Binding of 15 to the receptor cooperatively enhances orthosteric inverse agonist binding while negatively modulating binding of orthosteric agonists. Studies with a specific antibody that binds to an intracellular region of the ß2AR suggest that 15 binds in proximity to the G-protein binding site on the cytosolic surface of the ß2AR. In cell-signaling studies, 15 inhibits cAMP production through the ß2AR, but not that mediated by other Gs-coupled receptors. Compound 15 also similarly inhibits ß-arrestin recruitment to the activated ß2AR. This study presents an allosteric small-molecule ligand for the ß2AR and introduces a broadly applicable method for screening DNA-encoded small-molecule libraries against purified GPCR targets. Importantly, such an approach could facilitate the discovery of GPCR drugs with tailored allosteric effects.


Subject(s)
Adrenergic beta-Antagonists/pharmacology , High-Throughput Screening Assays/methods , Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2/metabolism , Small Molecule Libraries/pharmacology , Adrenergic beta-Antagonists/chemistry , Adrenergic beta-Antagonists/metabolism , Animals , Binding Sites/genetics , Binding, Competitive/drug effects , DNA/genetics , Humans , Ligands , Molecular Structure , Mutation , Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2/genetics , Sf9 Cells , Small Molecule Libraries/chemistry , Small Molecule Libraries/metabolism , Spodoptera
20.
J Immunol ; 192(8): 3626-36, 2014 Apr 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24616478

ABSTRACT

B cell activation leads to proliferation and Ab production that can protect from pathogens or promote autoimmunity. Regulation of cell metabolism is essential to support the demands of lymphocyte growth and effector function and may regulate tolerance. In this study, we tested the regulation and role of glucose uptake and metabolism in the proliferation and Ab production of control, anergic, and autoimmune-prone B cells. Control B cells had a balanced increase in lactate production and oxygen consumption following activation, with proportionally increased glucose transporter Glut1 expression and mitochondrial mass upon either LPS or BCR stimulation. This contrasted with metabolic reprogramming of T cells, which had lower glycolytic flux when resting but disproportionately increased this pathway upon activation. Importantly, tolerance greatly affected B cell metabolic reprogramming. Anergic B cells remained metabolically quiescent, with only a modest increase in glycolysis and oxygen consumption with LPS stimulation. B cells chronically stimulated with elevated BAFF, however, rapidly increased glycolysis and Ab production upon stimulation. Induction of glycolysis was critical for Ab production, as glycolytic inhibition with the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase inhibitor dichloroacetate sharply suppressed B cell proliferation and Ab secretion in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, B cell-specific deletion of Glut1 led to reduced B cell numbers and impaired Ab production in vivo. Together, these data show that activated B cells require Glut1-dependent metabolic reprogramming to support proliferation and Ab production that is distinct from T cells and that this glycolytic reprogramming is regulated in tolerance.


Subject(s)
Antibody Formation , B-Cell Activating Factor/metabolism , B-Lymphocytes/immunology , B-Lymphocytes/metabolism , Clonal Anergy/immunology , Animals , B-Cell Activating Factor/genetics , Dichloroacetic Acid/pharmacology , Glucose/metabolism , Glucose Transporter Type 1/metabolism , Glycolysis/drug effects , Homeostasis , Humans , Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism , Lymphocyte Activation/immunology , Mice , Mice, Transgenic , Mitochondria/metabolism , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc/metabolism , Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Acetyl-Transferring Kinase , T-Lymphocytes/immunology , T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
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