Blockade of MIF-CD74 Signalling on Macrophages and Dendritic Cells Restores the Antitumour Immune Response Against Metastatic Melanoma.

Mounting an effective immune response against cancer requires the activation of innate and adaptive immune cells. Metastatic melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer. While immunotherapies have shown a remarkable success in melanoma treatment, patients develop resistance by mechanisms that include the establishment of an immune suppressive tumor microenvironment. Thus, understanding how metastatic melanoma cells suppress the immune system is vital to develop effective immunotherapies against this disease. In this study, we find that macrophages (MOs) and dendritic cells (DCs) are suppressed in metastatic melanoma and that the Ig-CDR-based peptide C36L1 is able to restore MOs and DCs' antitumorigenic and immunogenic functions and to inhibit metastatic growth in lungs. Specifically, C36L1 treatment is able to repolarize M2-like immunosuppressive MOs into M1-like antitumorigenic MOs, and increase the number of immunogenic DCs, and activated cytotoxic T cells, while reducing the number of regulatory T cells and monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells in metastatic lungs. Mechanistically, we find that C36L1 directly binds to the MIF receptor CD74 which is expressed on MOs and DCs, disturbing CD74 structural dynamics and inhibiting MIF signaling on these cells. Interfering with MIF-CD74 signaling on MOs and DCs leads to a decrease in the expression of immunosuppressive factors from MOs and an increase in the capacity of DCs to activate cytotoxic T cells. Our findings suggest that interfering with MIF-CD74 immunosuppressive signaling in MOs and DCs, using peptide-based immunotherapy can restore the antitumor immune response in metastatic melanoma. Our study provides the rationale for further development of peptide-based therapies to restore the antitumor immune response in metastatic melanoma.

Modulation of mitochondrial activity in HaCaT keratinocytes by the cell penetrating peptide Z-Gly-RGD(DPhe)-mitoparan.

OBJECTIVE: Biologically active cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) are an emerging class of therapeutic agent. The wasp venom peptide mastoparan is an established CPP that modulates mitochondrial activity and triggers caspase-dependent apoptosis in cancer cells, as does the mastoparan analogue mitoparan (mitP). Mitochondrial depolarisation and activation of the caspase cascade also underpins the action of dithranol, a topical agent for treatment of psoriasis. The effects of a potent mitP analogue on mitochondrial activity were therefore examined to assess its potential as a novel approach for targeting mitochondria for the treatment of psoriasis. RESULTS: In HaCaT keratinocytes treated with the mitP analogue Z-Gly-RGD(DPhe)-mitP for 24 h, a dose-dependent loss of mitochondrial activity was observed using the methyl-thiazolyl-tetrazolium (MTT) assay. At 10 µmol L-1, MTT activity was less than 30% that observed in untreated cells. Staining with the cationic dye JC-1 suggested that Z-Gly-RGD(DPhe)-mitP also dissipated the mitochondrial membrane potential, with a threefold increase in mitochondrial depolarisation levels. However, caspase activity appeared to be reduced by 24 h exposure to Z-Gly-RGD(DPhe)-mitP treatment. Furthermore, Z-Gly-RGD(DPhe)-mitP treatment had little effect on overall cell viability. Our findings suggest Z-Gly-RGD(DPhe)-mitP promotes the loss of mitochondrial activity but does not appear to evoke apoptosis in HaCaT keratinocytes.

Terpenoids from Leaves of Guarea macrophylla Display In Vitro Cytotoxic Activity and Induce Apoptosis In Melanoma Cells.

Guarea macrophylla is a Brazilian plant species that has been used in folk medicine to treat a range of diseases. Our ongoing work focuses on the discovery of new bioactive natural products derived from Brazilian flora. The current study describes the identification of cytotoxic compounds from the EtOH extract of leaves from G. macrophylla using bioactivity-guided fractionation. This approach resulted in the isolation and characterization of four compounds: cycloart-23E-ene-3ß,25-diol (1), (23S*,24S*)-dihydroxycicloart-25-en-3-one (2), isopimara-7,15-diene-2α,3ß-diol (3), and isopimara-7,15-dien-3ß-ol (4), in which 2 and 3 are identified as new derivatives. In vitro assays were conducted to evaluate the cytotoxic activity of compounds 1-4 against a panel of cancer cell lines and to determine the possible mechanism(s) related to the activity of the compounds on B16F10Nex2 cells. The most active compound 1 induced cytotoxic effects on tumor cells, with IC50 values of 18.3, 52.1, and 58.9 µM against HL-60, HeLa, and B16F10-Nex2 tumor cells, respectively. Furthermore, it was observed in melanoma cells that compound 1 induced several specific apoptotic hallmarks, such as morphological changes in the cell shape structure, nuclear DNA condensation, specific chromatin fragmentation, and disruption in the mitochondrial membrane potential, which are related to the intrinsic apoptotic pathway.