Targeting IGF2-IGF1R Signaling to Reprogram the Tumor Microenvironment for Enhanced Viro-Immunotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The FDA approval of oncolytic herpes simplex-1 virus (oHSV) therapy underscores its therapeutic promise and safety as a cancer immunotherapy. Despite this promise, the current efficacy of oHSV is significantly limited to a small subset of patients largely due to the resistance in tumor and tumor microenvironment (TME). METHODS: RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was used to identify molecular targets of oHSV resistance. Intracranial human and murine glioma or breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) tumor-bearing mouse models were employed to elucidate the mechanism underlying oHSV therapy-induced resistance. RESULTS: Transcriptome analysis identified IGF2 as one of the top secreted proteins following oHSV treatment. Moreover, IGF2 expression was significantly upregulated in 10 out of 14 recurrent GBM patients after treatment with oHSV, rQNestin34.5v.2 (71.4%) (p=0.0020) (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03152318). Depletion of IGF2 substantially enhanced oHSV-mediated tumor cell killing in vitro and improved survival of mice bearing BCBM tumors in vivo. To mitigate the oHSV-induced IGF2 in the TME, we constructed a novel oHSV, oHSV-D11mt, secreting a modified IGF2R domain 11 (IGF2RD11mt) that acts as IGF2 decoy receptor. Selective blocking of IGF2 by IGF2RD11mt significantly increased cytotoxicity, reduced oHSV-induced neutrophils/PMN-MDSCs infiltration, and reduced secretion of immune suppressive/proangiogenic cytokines, while increased CD8+cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) infiltration, leading to enhanced survival in GBM or BCBM tumor-bearing mice. CONCLUSION: This is the first study reporting that oHSV-induced secreted IGF2 exerts a critical role in resistance to oHSV therapy, which can be overcome by oHSV-D11mt as a promising therapeutic advance for enhanced viro-immunotherapy.

Clinical trial links oncolytic immunoactivation to survival in glioblastoma.

Immunotherapy failures can result from the highly suppressive tumour microenvironment that characterizes aggressive forms of cancer such as recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM)1,2. Here we report the results of a first-in-human phase I trial in 41 patients with rGBM who were injected with CAN-3110-an oncolytic herpes virus (oHSV)3. In contrast to other clinical oHSVs, CAN-3110 retains the viral neurovirulence ICP34.5 gene transcribed by a nestin promoter; nestin is overexpressed in GBM and other invasive tumours, but not in the adult brain or healthy differentiated tissue4. These modifications confer CAN-3110 with preferential tumour replication. No dose-limiting toxicities were encountered. Positive HSV1 serology was significantly associated with both improved survival and clearance of CAN-3110 from injected tumours. Survival after treatment, particularly in individuals seropositive for HSV1, was significantly associated with (1) changes in tumour/PBMC T cell counts and clonal diversity, (2) peripheral expansion/contraction of specific T cell clonotypes; and (3) tumour transcriptomic signatures of immune activation. These results provide human validation that intralesional oHSV treatment enhances anticancer immune responses even in immunosuppressive tumour microenvironments, particularly in individuals with cognate serology to the injected virus. This provides a biological rationale for use of this oncolytic modality in cancers that are otherwise unresponsive to immunotherapy (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03152318 ).

Immunosuppressive cells in oncolytic virotherapy for glioma: challenges and solutions.

Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive form of brain cancer characterized by the abundance of myeloid lineage cells in the tumor microenvironment. Tumor-associated macrophages and microglia (TAM) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), play a pivotal role in promoting immune suppression and tumor progression. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are self-amplifying cytotoxic agents that can stimulate local anti-tumor immune responses and have the potential to suppress immunosuppressive myeloid cells and recruit tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (TILs) to the tumor site, leading to an adaptive immune response against tumors. However, the impact of OV therapy on the tumor-resident myeloid population and the subsequent immune responses are not yet fully understood. This review provides an overview of how TAM and MDSC respond to different types of OVs, and combination therapeutics that target the myeloid population to promote anti-tumor immune responses in the glioma microenvironment.

Liposarcoma of the pleural cavity.

Liposarcoma rarely occurs in the pleura or thoracic cavity, and few reports appear in the literature. We hypothesized that combining clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical, and fluorescence in situ hybridization methods would allow definite diagnoses. Using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks, we examined 6 atypical lipomatous tumor/well-differentiated liposarcomas (ALT/WDLPS), 5 dedifferentiated liposarcomas (DDLPSs), 2 pleomorphic liposarcomas, and 1 myxoid liposarcoma (MLPS). We used the Kaplan-Meier method and the Wilcoxon test for survival analysis for prognostic factor evaluation. Histologically, ALT/WDLPS was composed of a relatively mature adipocytic proliferation, accompanied by some lipoblasts. DDLPS exhibited round-to-oval tumor cells with a high nucleus-to-cytoplasm ratio that had proliferated in nests, accompanied in case 10 by some giant cells but no fatty cells. The pleomorphic type contained a varying proportion of pleomorphic lipoblasts. MLPS displayed uniform round- to oval-shaped cells and small signet-ring lipoblasts in a myxoid stroma. Immunohistochemically, 11 (79%), 11 (79%), and 10 (71%) of 14 cases were positive for S-100, p16, and CDK4, respectively. Six of the 14 cases (43%) were positive for MDM2 and adipophilin. One case of ALT/WDLPS and 3 cases of DDLPS exhibited MDM2 amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization (Vysis LSI MDM2 SpectrumGreen Probe plus Vysis CEP 12 SpectrumOrange probe). ALT/WDLPS was the most favorable type for survival, while adipophilin tended to be a negative prognostic factor for pleural liposarcoma. For a firm diagnosis of liposarcoma in the pleura, immunohistochemistry for CDK4, MDM2, and adipophilin together with MDM2 gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization may be an important diagnostic tool.

Ensemble averaging for categorical variables: Validation study of imputing lost data in 24-h recorded postures of inpatients.

Acceleration sensors are widely used in consumer wearable devices and smartphones. Postures estimated from recorded accelerations are commonly used as features indicating the activities of patients in medical studies. However, recording for over 24 h is more likely to result in data losses than recording for a few hours, especially when consumer-grade wearable devices are used. Here, to impute postures over a period of 24 h, we propose an imputation method that uses ensemble averaging. This method outputs a time series of postures over 24 h with less lost data by calculating the ratios of postures taken at the same time of day during several measurement-session days. Whereas conventional imputation methods are based on approaches with groups of subjects having multiple variables, the proposed method imputes the lost data variables individually and does not require other variables except posture. We validated the method on 306 measurement data from 99 stroke inpatients in a hospital rehabilitation ward. First, to classify postures from acceleration data measured by a wearable sensor placed on the patient's trunk, we preliminary estimated possible thresholds for classifying postures as 'reclining' and 'sitting or standing' by investigating the valleys in the histogram of occurrences of trunk angles during a long-term recording. Next, the imputations of the proposed method were validated. The proposed method significantly reduced the missing data rate from 5.76% to 0.21%, outperforming a conventional method.

Variants of the adeno-associated virus serotype 9 with enhanced penetration of the blood-brain barrier in rodents and primates.

The development of gene therapies for the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system has been hindered by the limited availability of adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) that efficiently traverse the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Here, we report the rational design of AAV9 variants displaying cell-penetrating peptides on the viral capsid and the identification of two variants, AAV.CPP.16 and AAV.CPP.21, with improved transduction efficiencies of cells of the central nervous system on systemic delivery (6- to 249-fold across 4 mouse strains and 5-fold in cynomolgus macaques, with respect to the AAV9 parent vector). We also show that the neurotropism of AAV.CPP.16 is retained in young and adult macaques, that this variant displays enhanced transcytosis at the BBB as well as increased efficiency of cellular transduction relative to AAV9, and that it can be used to deliver antitumour payloads in a mouse model of glioblastoma. AAV capsids that can efficiently penetrate the BBB will facilitate the clinical translation of gene therapies aimed at the central nervous system.

Validity of trunk acceleration measurement with a chest-worn monitor for assessment of physical activity intensity.

BACKGROUND: Recent advancements in wearable technology have enabled easy measurement of daily activities, potentially applicable in rehabilitation practice for various purposes such as maintaining and increasing patients' activity levels. In this study, we aimed to examine the validity of trunk acceleration measurement using a chest monitor embedded in a smart clothing system ('hitoe' system), an emerging wearable system, in assessing the physical activity in an experimental setting with healthy subjects (Study 1) and in a clinical setting with post-stroke patients (Study 2). METHODS: Study 1 involved the participation of 14 healthy individuals. The trunk acceleration, heart rate (HR), and oxygen consumption were simultaneously measured during treadmill testing with a Bruce protocol. Trunk acceleration and HR were measured using the "hitoe" system, a smart clothing system with embedded chest sensors. Expiratory gas analysis was performed to measure oxygen consumption. Three parameters, moving average (MA), moving standard deviation (MSD), and moving root mean square (RMS), were calculated from the norm of the trunk acceleration. The relationships between these accelerometer-based parameters and oxygen consumption-based physical activity intensity measured with the percent VO2 reserve (%VO2R) were examined. In Study 2, 48 h of simultaneous measurement of trunk acceleration and heart rate-based physical activity intensity in terms of percent heart rate reserve (%HRR) was conducted with the "hitoe" system in 136 post-stroke patients. RESULTS: The values of MA, MSD, RMS, and %VO2R were significantly different between levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the Bruce protocol (P < 0.01). The average coefficients of determination for individual regression for %VO2R versus MA, %VO2R versus MSD, and %VO2R versus RMS were 0.89 ± 0.05, 0.96 ± 0.03, and 0.91 ± 0.05, respectively. Among the parameters examined, MSD showed the best correlation with %VO2R, indicating high validity of the parameter for assessing physical activity intensity. The 48-h measurement of MSD and %HRR in post-stroke patients showed significant within-individual correlation (P < 0.05) in 131 out of 136 patients (correlation coefficient: 0.60 ± 0.16). CONCLUSIONS: The results support the validity of the MSD calculated from the trunk acceleration measured with a smart clothing system in assessing the physical activity intensity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN000034967. Registered 21 November 2018 (retrospectively registered).

Mechanism of Budded Virus Envelope Fusion into a Planar Bilayer Lipid Membrane on a SiO2 Substrate.

Artificial planar bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) are simple models of cellular systems under physically and chemically controlled conditions, and they have been used to investigate membrane protein activity. Baculovirus-budded virus (BV) systems can express recombinant membrane proteins. In this study, aiming for membrane protein reconstitution, we examined the fusion of BVs containing recombinant membrane proteins into artificial planar BLMs on a Si microwell substrate. BV fusion with the BLMs depended on the pH of the solution, and it was enhanced at lower pH. Based on fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) measurement, the fusion state of BVs was evaluated, and full fusion at low pH was confirmed. The fluorescent labeling the membrane proteins was also observed in the freestanding part of the BLMs as well as in the supported part. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of BLMs as a platform to examine detailed fusion dynamics of BVs. Furthermore, this study revealed that the fusion of BVs is a promising method for reconstituting membrane proteins to artificial freestanding BLMs for the development of biodevices with which we can examine membrane protein activity.

Macular pucker formation after inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique: Two case reports.

PURPOSE: The inverted internal limiting membrane (ILM) flap technique is generally used to treat refractory macular holes (MHs). Recently, a case of macular pucker formation outside the ILM flap after using silicone oil was reported. Although the pucker formation was attributed to the silicone oil use in that case, here we report two cases of macular pucker that occurred after the inverted ILM flap technique was performed without silicone oil. In one case, the ILM flap and proliferated tissue was removed, followed by their histopathological examination. OBSERVATIONS: Two patients with MH underwent vitrectomies using the inverted ILM flap technique. In both patients, the visual acuity worsened postoperatively, and macular pucker formation, associated with the ILM flap, was observed. In one patient, visual acuity improved after ILM flap removal, and histopathological examination of the specimen indicated strong cellular proliferation between the ILMs. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: Following the inverted ILM flap technique, macular pucker may occur even without the use of silicone oil. Removal of the flap and associated proliferative tissue was effective and resulted in no recurrence of MH or pucker. Ophthalmologists should consider the possibility that tissues on the ILM may lead to macular pucker formation especially inside the flap, in the area between the ILMs.

NOTCH-Induced MDSC Recruitment after oHSV Virotherapy in CNS Cancer Models Modulates Antitumor Immunotherapy.

PURPOSE: Oncolytic herpes simplex virus-1 (oHSV) infection of brain tumors activates NOTCH, however the consequences of NOTCH on oHSV-induced immunotherapy is largely unknown. Here we evaluated the impact of NOTCH blockade on virus-induced immunotherapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), TCGA data analysis, flow cytometry, Luminex- and ELISA-based assays, brain tumor animal models, and serum analysis of patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) treated with oHSV was used to evaluate the effect of NOTCH signaling on virus-induced immunotherapy. RESULTS: TCGA data analysis of patients with grade IV glioma and oHSV treatment of experimental brain tumors in mice showed that NOTCH signaling significantly correlated with a higher myeloid cell infiltration. Immunofluorescence staining and RNA-seq uncovered a significant induction of Jag1 (NOTCH ligand) expression in infiltrating myeloid cells upon oHSV infection. Jag1-expressing macrophages further spread NOTCH activation in the tumor microenvironment (TME). NOTCH-activated macrophages increased the secretion of CCL2, which further amplified myeloid-derived suppressor cells. CCL2 and IL10 induction was also observed in serum of patients with recurrent GBM treated with oHSV (rQnestin34.5; NCT03152318). Pharmacologic blockade of NOTCH signaling rescued the oHSV-induced immunosuppressive TME and activated a CD8-dependent antitumor memory response, resulting in a therapeutic benefit. CONCLUSIONS: NOTCH-induced immunosuppressive myeloid cell recruitment limited antitumor immunity. Translationally, these findings support the use of NOTCH inhibition in conjunction with oHSV therapy.

Genetic epidemiological analysis of hypouricaemia from 4993 Japanese on non-functional variants of URAT1/SLC22A12 gene.

OBJECTIVES: Up to 0.3% of Japanese have hypouricaemia. Most cases appear to result from a hereditary disease, renal hypouricaemia (RHUC), which causes exercise-induced acute kidney injury and urolithiasis. However, to what extent RHUC accounts for hypouricaemia is not known. We therefore investigated its frequency and evaluated its risks by genotyping a general Japanese population. METHODS: A cohort of 4993 Japanese was examined by genotyping the non-functional variants R90H (rs121907896) and W258X (rs121907892) of URAT1/SLC22A12, the two most common causative variants of RHUC in Japanese. RESULTS: Participants' fractional excretion of uric acid and risk allele frequencies markedly increased at lower serum uric acid (SUA) levels. Ten participants (0.200%) had an SUA level ≤2.0 mg/dl and nine had R90H or W258X and were likely to have RHUC. Logistic regression analysis revealed these URAT1 variants to be significantly and independently associated with the risk of hypouricaemia and mild hypouricaemia (SUA ≤3.0 mg/dl) as well as sex, age and BMI, but these URAT1 variants were the only risks in the hypouricaemia population (SUA ≤2.0 mg/dl). W258X was only a risk in males with SUA ≤3.0 mg/dl. CONCLUSION: Our study accurately reveals the prevalence of RHUC and provides genetic evidence for its definition (SUA ≤2.0 mg/dl). We also show that individuals with SUA ≤3.0 mg/dl, especially males, are prone to RHUC. Our findings will help to promote a better epidemiological understanding of RHUC as well as more accurate diagnosis, especially in males with mild hypouricaemia.

Extending the Limbus-to-Cannula Distance to 6.0 mm During Pars Plana Vitrectomy in Highly Myopic Eyes.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the utility of extending the limbus-to-cannula distance to 6.0 mm during pars plana vitrectomy for highly myopic eyes. METHODS: Four eyes with axial lengths exceeding 31.0 mm, that underwent 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy were retrospectively evaluated. Assuming that cannulas were inserted 3.5 mm and 6.0 mm from the corneal limbus, the distance from the cannula to the fovea (CF distance) was preoperatively evaluated using anterior segmental optical coherence tomography. Surgical complications were also investigated. RESULTS: The CF distance was shortened by 1.22 ± 0.05 mm and 1.22 ± 0.09 mm on the temporal and nasal sides, respectively, by inserting the cannula at 3.5 mm to 6.0 mm from the corneal limbus. As per the preoperatively measured CF distance, one of the cannulas was inserted 6.0 mm from the corneal limbus in three eyes. Their cannulas were confirmed to be inserted at the pars plana, and no surgical complications associated with this technique were observed. CONCLUSION: Extending the limbus-to-cannula distance to 6.0 mm during pars plana vitrectomy could be one of the options to reach the posterior pole in highly myopic eyes. A preoperatively measured CF distance can be a clinical criterion in determining the cannula position.

Impact of Oral Health Status on Perceived Dental Problems Among Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Personnel.

INTRODUCTION: Dental problems may have a great impact on military mission effectiveness, as such, evidence-based dental classification guidelines are required for minimizing the occurrence of dental problems. The aim of this study is to elucidate the independent contribution of each oral disease to the perception of dental problems among Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) personnel in order to make the dental classification guidelines more precise for the prediction of future dental problems. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel who were examined during the annual dental checkup in 2013 answered questions about the experience of dental problems within the last 12 months in 2014. The associations between the items of a dental checkup and the perception of dental problems were examined using multiple logistic regression analysis with a stepwise procedure to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. RESULTS: The data of a total of 22,441 subjects were included in the analysis. Those who declared to have perceived dental problems within the last 12 months were 5,088 (22.7%). The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that personnel who had decayed teeth had a higher chance of experiencing dental problems than those who had no dental caries. Personnel whose periodontal disease was judged to be more severe in a dental examination had a greater OR for the perception of dental problems. CONCLUSION: These results may become recommendations for operations in the JMSDF dental classification system.

Quantitative imaging of apoptosis following oncolytic virotherapy by magnetic resonance fingerprinting aided by deep learning.

Non-invasive imaging methods for detecting intratumoural viral spread and host responses to oncolytic virotherapy are either slow, lack specificity or require the use of radioactive or metal-based contrast agents. Here we show that in mice with glioblastoma multiforme, the early apoptotic responses to oncolytic virotherapy (characterized by decreased cytosolic pH and reduced protein synthesis) can be rapidly detected via chemical-exchange-saturation-transfer magnetic resonance fingerprinting (CEST-MRF) aided by deep learning. By leveraging a deep neural network trained with simulated magnetic resonance fingerprints, CEST-MRF can generate quantitative maps of intratumoural pH and of protein and lipid concentrations by selectively labelling the exchangeable amide protons of endogenous proteins and the exchangeable macromolecule protons of lipids, without requiring exogenous contrast agents. We also show that in a healthy volunteer, CEST-MRF yielded molecular parameters that are in good agreement with values from the literature. Deep-learning-aided CEST-MRF may also be amenable to the characterization of host responses to other cancer therapies and to the detection of cardiac and neurological pathologies.

Core body temperature estimation by eyeglass-type device: thermal analysis of radiation heat measured from caruncle.

This paper describes a method for estimating core body temperature from radiation heat of the caruncle and an eyeglass-type device for measuring the temperature of the caruncle to prescreen for infectious diseases such as COVID-19. As a precise prescreening method, monitoring a person's continuous core body temperature is desired. By monitoring the continuous core body temperature, including circadian rhythm, in our daily life, infections can potentially be discovered when body temperature is higher than normal. Although monitoring the core body temperature is effective, continuous and precise monitoring requires the use of an invasive instrument. To overcome this, we (1) design an eyeglass-type device for measuring the caruncle temperature and (2) model the correlation between the caruncle temperature and the core body temperature. Experimental results revealed that hypothalamic temperature could be estimated within ± 0.3 °C between 20 and 30 °C by using the eyeglass-type device.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma with heterologous elements.

AIMS: Malignant pleural mesothelioma with heterologous elements (such as osseous, cartilaginous or rhabdomyoblastic differentiation) is very rare. We tried to differentiate such mesothelioma cases from extraskeletal pleural osteosarcoma, which is very challenging. METHODS: We compared 10 malignant pleural mesotheliomas (three biphasic and seven sarcomatoid types) with two pleural osteosarcomas using clinicopathological and immunohistochemical methods, and also fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) to examine for homozygous deletion of p16. RESULTS: The median age was 72 years for mesotheliomas, and 69 years for osteosarcoma. For mesothelioma, eight cases were male and two were female. Growth was diffuse in all mesothelioma cases except case 10, where it was localised, as it was for the two osteosarcomas. Among mesothelioma cases, 80% displayed osteosarcomatous and 60% chondromatous elements, while 10% exhibited rhabdomyoblastic ones. Immunohistochemical labelling for calretinin and AE1/AE3 was present in 8/10 and 7/10 mesotheliomas, respectively, but in only one osteosarcoma. Loss of methylthioadenosine phosphorylase was seen in 5/7 mesotheliomas. FISH analysis revealed homozygous deletion of p16 in 5/8 mesothelioma and 2/2 osteosarcoma. Median survival was 6.5 months after biopsy or surgical operation in mesothelioma, and 12 months after operation in osteosarcoma. CONCLUSIONS: Although median survival was longer for osteosarcoma than for malignant mesothelioma, we could not differentiate mesothelioma from pleural osteosarcoma on the combined basis of clinicopathological and immunohistochemical data, and FISH analysis. However, diffuse growth was more frequent in mesothelioma than in osteosarcoma.

A Proposal for Practical Diagnosis of Renal Hypouricemia: Evidenced from Genetic Studies of Nonfunctional Variants of URAT1/SLC22A12 among 30,685 Japanese Individuals.

BACKGROUND: Renal hypouricemia (RHUC) is characterized by a low serum uric acid (SUA) level and high fractional excretion of uric acid (FEUA). Further studies on FEUA in hypouricemic individuals are needed for a more accurate diagnosis of RHUC. METHODS: In 30,685 Japanese health-examination participants, we genotyped the two most common nonfunctional variants of URAT1 (NFV-URAT1), W258X (rs121907892) and R90H (rs121907896), in 1040 hypouricemic individuals (SUA ≤ 3.0 mg/dL) and 2240 individuals with FEUA data. The effects of NFV-URAT1 on FEUA and SUA were also investigated using linear and multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: Frequency of hypouricemic individuals (SUA ≤ 3.0 mg/dL) was 0.97% (male) and 6.94% (female) among 30,685 participants. High frequencies of those having at least one allele of NFV-URAT1 were observed in 1040 hypouricemic individuals. Furthermore, NFV-URAT1 significantly increased FEUA and decreased SUA, enabling FEUA and SUA levels to be estimated. Conversely, FEUA and SUA data of hypouricemic individuals are revealed to be useful to predict the number of NFV-URAT1. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal that specific patterns of FEUA and SUA data assist with predicting the number of nonfunctional variants of causative genes for RHUC, and can also be useful for practical diagnosis of RHUC even before genetic tests.

Oncolytic Virus Therapy Alters the Secretome of Targeted Glioblastoma Cells.

Oncolytic virus (OV) therapy, which is being tested in clinical trials for glioblastoma, targets cancer cells, while triggering immune cells. Yet OV sensitivity varies from patient to patient. As OV therapy is regarded as an anti-tumor vaccine, by making OV-infected cancer cells secrete immunogenic proteins, linking these proteins to transcriptome would provide a measuring tool to predict their sensitivity. A set of six patient-derived glioblastoma cells treated ex-vivo with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) modeled a clinical setting of OV infection. The cellular transcriptome and secreted proteome (separated into extracellular vesicles (EV) and EV-depleted fractions) were analyzed by gene microarray and mass-spectroscopy, respectively. Data validation and in silico analysis measured and correlated the secretome content with the response to infection and patient survival. Glioblastoma cells reacted to the OV infection in a seemingly dissimilar fashion, but their transcriptomes changed in the same direction. Therefore, the upregulation of transcripts encoding for secreted proteins implies a common thread in the response of cancer cells to infection. Indeed, the OV-driven secretome is linked to the immune response. While these proteins have distinct membership in either EV or EV-depleted fractions, it is their co-secretion that augments the immune response and associates with favorable patient outcomes.

Redesigned reporter gene for improved proton exchange-based molecular MRI contrast.

Reporter gene imaging allows for non-invasive monitoring of molecular processes in living cells, providing insights on the mechanisms underlying pathology and therapy. A lysine-rich protein (LRP) chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI reporter gene has previously been developed and used to image tumor cells, cardiac viral gene transfer, and oncolytic virotherapy. However, the highly repetitive nature of the LRP reporter gene sequence leads to DNA recombination events and the expression of a range of truncated LRP protein fragments, thereby greatly limiting the CEST sensitivity. Here we report the use of a redesigned LRP reporter (rdLRP), aimed to provide excellent stability and CEST sensitivity. The rdLRP contains no DNA repeats or GC rich regions and 30% less positively charged amino-acids. RT-PCR of cell lysates transfected with rdLRP demonstrated a stable reporter gene with a single distinct band corresponding to full-length DNA. A distinct increase in CEST-MRI contrast was obtained in cell lysates of rdLRP transfected cells and in in vivo LRP expressing mouse brain tumors ([Formula: see text], n = 10).