Sodium oligomannate's amelioration of reproductive and metabolic phenotypes in a letrozole-induced PCOS-like mouse model depends on the gut microbiome.

It has been well-established that there is a connection between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) pathology and gut microbiome dysbiosis. A marine-derived oligosaccharide, GV-971, has been reported to alter gut microbiota and alleviate Aß amyloidosis. In this study, the effects of GV-971 on PCOS-like mice were explored. Mice were randomly assigned into four groups: control, letrozole, letrozole + GV-971, control + GV-971. Glucose metabolism in PCOS-like mice was ameliorated by GV-971, while the reproductive endocrine disorder of PCOS-like mice was partially reversed. The messenger ribonucleic acid levels of steroidogenic enzymes in ovaries of PCOS-like mice were improved. GV-971 restored the fertility of PCOS-like mice and significantly increase the number of litters. Furthermore, GV-971 treatment effectively mitigated abnormal bile acid metabolism. Notably, after GV-971 intervention, gut microbiota alpha-diversity was considerably raised and the relative abundance of Firmicutes was reduced. In conclusion, the hyperinsulinemia and hyperandrogenemia of PCOS-like mice were alleviated by GV-971 intervention, which was associated with mitigating bile acid metabolism and modulating gut microbiota.

Biomarkers identification in follicular fluid in relation to live birth in in vitro fertilization of women with polycystic ovary syndrome in different subtypes by using UPLC-MS method.

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common infertility disorder which affects reproductive-aged women. However, metabolic change profiles of follicular fluid (FF) in lean and obese women diagnosed with and without PCOS remains unclear. METHODS: 95 infertile women were divided into four subgroups: LC (lean control), OC (overweight control), LP (lean PCOS), and OP (overweight PCOS). The FF samples were collected during oocyte retrieval and assayed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) metabolomics. RESULTS: A total of 236 metabolites were identified by metabolic analysis. The pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the glycerophospholipid metabolism (impact = 0.11182), ether lipid metabolism (impact = 0.14458), and primary bile acid biosynthesis (impact = 0.03267) were related to metabolic pathway between PCOS and control. Correlation analyses showed that epitestosterone sulfate was found positively correlated with fertilization rate in PCOS, while falcarindione, lucidone C. and notoginsenoside I was found to be negatively correlated. The combined four biomarkers including lucidone C, epitestosterone sulfate, falcarindione, and notoginsenoside I was better in predicting live birth rate, with AUC of 0.779. CONCLUSION: The follicular fluid of women with PCOS showed unique metabolic characteristics. Our study provides better identification of PCOS follicular fluid metabolic dynamics, which may serve as potential biomarkers of live birth.

Leader humility and employees' creative performance: the role of intrinsic motivation and work engagement.

Drawing on the job demand-resource (JD-R) model and self-determination theory (SDT), this study examines the relationship between humble leadership and employees' creative performance, taking into account the sequential mediating role of intrinsic motivation and work engagement. The sequential mediation model was tested using two-wave questionnaire data collected from employees and their supervisors (n = 350) in the telecommunication sector of Pakistan. Data were processed and examined using SPSS and AMOS. The results revealed significant positive relationships among all variables. Further, it was found that intrinsic motivation and work engagement sequentially but partially mediated the positive relationship between humble leadership and creative performance. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed at the end.

Follicle stimulating hormone controls granulosa cell glutamine synthesis to regulate ovulation.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the leading cause of anovulatory infertility. Inadequate understanding of the ovulation drivers hinders PCOS intervention. Herein, we report that follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) controls follicular fluid (FF) glutamine levels to determine ovulation. Murine ovulation starts from FF-exposing granulosa cell (GC) apoptosis. FF glutamine, which decreases in pre-ovulation porcine FF, elevates in PCOS patients FF. High-glutamine chow to elevate FF glutamine inhibits mouse GC apoptosis and induces hormonal, metabolic, and morphologic PCOS traits. Mechanistically, follicle-development-driving FSH promotes GC glutamine synthesis to elevate FF glutamine, which maintain follicle wall integrity by inhibiting GC apoptosis through inactivating ASK1-JNK apoptotic pathway. FSH and glutamine inhibit rapture of cultured murine follicles. Glutamine removal or ASK1-JNK pathway activation with metformin or AT-101 reversed PCOS traits in PCOS models that are induced with either glutamine or EsR1-KO. These suggest that glutamine, FSH and ASK1-JNK pathway are targetable to alleviate PCOS.

C5aR1 blockade reshapes immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and synergizes with immune checkpoint blockade therapy in high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC), with a modest response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) targeting PD-1/PD-L1 monotherapy, is densely infiltrated by M2-polarized tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and regulatory T (Treg) cells. The complement C5a/C5aR1 axis contributes to the programming of the immunosuppressive phenotype of TAMs in solid tumors and represents a promising immunomodulatory target for treating HGSCs. Here, we aimed to identify the relevance of C5aR1 in prognosis, immune microenvironment, and immunotherapy response in HGSCs. The expression and relationship of C5aR1 with tumor-infiltrating immune cells were assessed by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry in the training cohort (n = 120) and fresh HGSC tissues (n = 36). Transcriptomic analyses of the xenografts delineated the mechanisms driving the immunomodulatory activity of PMX53, an orally bioavailable C5aR1 inhibitor. Therapeutic relevance was confirmed in ex vivo tumor cultures and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. C5aR1 expression independently predicted dismal prognosis and was linked to the immunoevasive subtype of HGSC, characterized by increased infiltration of pro-tumor cells (Treg cells, M2-polarized macrophages, and neutrophils) and impaired CD8+T functions. PMX53 antagonized subcutaneous tumor growth, modulated immunosuppressive mechanisms and synergized with aPD-1 in several tumor types. Single-cell RNA-seq analysis revealed predominant C5aR1 expression in TAMs, with an immunosuppressive-related expression signature in C5aR1+TAMs. Furthermore, the combination of C5aR1 and PD-L1 was associated with specific molecular characteristics and matched clinical response annotations. Therefore, the abundance of C5aR1 could predict an inferior prognosis in HGSCs, and incorporating PD-L1 may serve as a novel predictive biomarker to guide therapeutic options.

Siglec-9+ tumor-associated macrophages delineate an immunosuppressive subset with therapeutic vulnerability in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: The potent immunosuppressive properties of sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin-9 (Siglec-9) on myeloid cells and lymphocytes provide a strong rationale for serving as a therapeutic target. However, the expression profile and critical role of Siglec-9 in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) remain obscure. This study aimed to elucidate the prognostic significance of Siglec-9 expression and its predictive value for immunotherapy in HGSC. METHODS: Study enrolled two cohorts, consisting of 120 tumor microarray specimens of HGSC for immunohistochemistry (IHC) and 40 fresh tumor specimens for flow cytometry (FCM). Expression profile of Siglec-9 in immune cells was analyzed by both bioinformatics analysis and FCM. Role of Siglec-9 was studied to identify that Siglec-9+TAMs linked with an immunosuppressive phenotype by IHC and FCM, and block Siglec-9 was sensitive to immunotherapy by ex vivo and in vitro assays. RESULTS: Siglec-9 is predominantly expressed on tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). High Siglec-9+TAMs were associated with inferior overall survival (OS). Both tumor-conditioned medium (TCM) and tumor ascites induced enrichment of Siglec-9+TAMs with protumorigenic phenotypes. Siglec-9+TAMs were associated with immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) characterized by exhausted CD8+T cells and increased immune checkpoint expression. Blockade of Siglec-9 suppressed phosphorylation of the inhibitory phosphatase SHP-1 and repolarized TAMs to antitumorigenic phenotype and retrieved cytotoxic activity of CD8+T cells in vitro and ex vivo. Responders toward antiprogrammed death receptor-1 (anti-PD-1) therapy present more Siglec-9+TAMs than non-responders. Furthermore, blockade Siglec-9 synergized with anti-PD-1 antibody to enhance the cytotoxic activity of CD8+T cells in tissues with higher Siglec-9+TAMs. CONCLUSIONS: Siglec-9+TAMs may serve as an independent prognostic of poor survival but a predictive biomarker for anti-PD-1/antiprogrammed death ligand-1 immunotherapy in HGSC. In addition, the potential of immunosuppressive Siglec-9+TAMs as a therapeutic target is worth further exploration.

Creative Performance and Conflict through the Lens of Humble Leadership: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model.

This study developed and tested a moderated mediation model by examining the relationships between humble leadership (HL), emotional intelligence, employee conflict (EC), and creative performance (CP), using resource-based theory as the theoretical foundation. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 322 employees and their immediate supervisors (n = 53) from the telecom sector in Pakistan. The data was analyzed using AMOS 21 and SPSS 26. The results demonstrate that HL has a positive effect on creative performance and a negative relationship with employee conflict. Furthermore, employee conflict has a negative impact on CP and mediates the impact of HL on CP. Moreover, a leader's emotional intelligence moderates the negative relationship between HL and EC. Finally, this study reveals that EI moderates the indirect effects of HL on CP. The conclusions and implications are discussed at the end of this paper.

Attenuation of Sialylation Augments Antitumor Immunity and Improves Response to Immunotherapy in Ovarian Cancer.

Aberrant sialylation functions as an important modulator of all steps of malignant transformation. Therefore, targeting sialylation regulators, such as sialyltransferases and neuraminidases, is a potential strategy for treating cancer. Here, we found that elevated α2,3-sialyltransferase III (St3gal3) was associated with dismal prognosis in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC). St3gal3 knockdown antagonized subcutaneous tumor growth in immunocompetent, but not immunodeficient mice, with enhanced accumulation of functional CD8+ T cells and antitumor immune gene signatures. St3gal3 knockdown inhibited intraperitoneal tumor growth and repolarized tumor-associated macrophages from a protumorigenic M2-like to a tumor-suppressive M1-like phenotype. In vitro, St3gal3 knockdown tumor cells guided bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) toward the M1-like phenotype under both direct contact and distant Transwell coculture conditions. Depletion of macrophages rescued the suppressed tumor growth induced by St3gal3 knockdown and completely suppressed infiltration of functional CD8+ T cells that rely on macrophage-derived CXCL10. St3gal3 engendered an immunosuppressive HGSC microenvironment characterized by an abundance of pro-tumorigenic macrophages and reduced cytotoxic T-cell infiltration. In vivo, St3gal3 knockdown improved effectiveness of dual immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) with αPD-1 and αCTLA4 antibodies. Preclinical inhibition of sialylation with ambroxol resulted in decreased tumor growth and prolonged the survival of tumor-bearing mice, which was enhanced by the addition of dual ICB. These findings indicate that altered sialylation induced by St3gal3 upregulation promotes a tumor-suppressive microenvironment in HGSC and targeting α2,3-sialylation may reprogram the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and improve the efficacy of immunotherapy. SIGNIFICANCE: Blocking sialylation augments antitumor immunity and enhances response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy, highlighting a potential therapeutic approach for treating patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

IL-15 Participates in the Pathogenesis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome by Affecting the Activity of Granulosa Cells.

BACKGROUND: Low-grade chronic inflammation may contribute to the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a proinflammatory cytokine involved in the development of chronic inflammation leading to obesity-associated metabolic syndrome. However, the concentration of IL-15 in follicular fluid of patients with PCOS has yet been evaluated. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression level of IL-15 in both patients with PCOS and PCOS mice model and investigate the functional effect of IL-15 on ovarian granulosa cells. METHODS: The level of IL-15 in follicular fluid (FF) was measured using cytokine array and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in two cohorts from 23 PCOS patients and 18 normo-ovulatory controls. PCOS mice model was induced by subcutaneously implanted with letrozole pellet for 21 days. The expression level of IL-15 in serum, ovarian, and subcutaneous adipose tissue in PCOS mice model was measured by ELISA, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and immunofluorescence. The effect of IL-15 on the proliferation and apoptosis of the KGN cells and mouse ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) were detected by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Transcript expression of 17α-hydroxylase17,20-lyase (CYP17A1), cytochrome P450 family 19 subfamily A member 1(CYP19A1), FSH receptor (FSHR), steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), and proinflammatory cytokine were quantified using RT-PCR. The protein level and phosphorylation level of p38 MAPK and JNK are detected by Western blot. Concentration of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and progesterone (P)were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: IL-15 expression in follicular fluid of patients with PCOS was significantly elevated compared with the control group, and similar results were observed in the ovarian and subcutaneous adipose tissue of PCOS mice models. Furthermore, the elevated FF IL-15 levels have a positive correlation with the serum testosterone levels. FSHR co-localized with IL-15 indicating that IL-15 production originate from ovarian granulose cells. IL-15 treatment inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of KGN cells and mouse GCs. Moreover, IL-15 upregulated the transcription levels of CYP17A1, IL-1b and Ifng KGN cells. Similar results were observed in mouse GCs except concentration of DHEAS was higher in IL-15 treatment. IL-15 promoted p38 MAPK and JNK phosphorylation in KGN cells, treating KGN cells with p38 MAPK inhibitor SP600125 and JNK inhibitor SB203580 could reverse the effect of IL-15 on the proliferation and function of KGN cells. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that IL-15 is involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS potentially by affecting survival, the inflammation state and steroidogenesis of granulosa cells. The practical significance of this association between IL-15 and the pathogenesis of PCOS needs further investigation.

Scribble downregulation in adenomyosis compromises endometrial stromal decidualization by decreasing FOXO1 expression.

STUDY QUESTION: Does Scribble (SCRIB) contribute to aberrant decidualization of endometrial stromal cells (ESC) in adenomyosis? SUMMARY ANSWER: SCRIB knockdown impairs decidualization of ESC by decreasing Fork-head box O1A (FOXO1) expression through the protein kinase B (AKT) and atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) activated pathways. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Stromal SCRIB is required for primary decidual zone formation and pregnancy success in mice. In our previous studies, decidualization was dampened in ESC isolated from adenomyosis patients, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Eutopic endometrium tissue samples from diffuse adenomyosis and non-adenomyosis patients in proliferative, early-secretory and mid-secretory phase (n = 10 per phase for each group) were explored. In parallel, in vitro decidualization studies were carried out in ESC isolated from non-adenomyosis women (n = 8). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: The endometrial SCRIB expression was analyzed using immunohistochemistry staining and western blot. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), western blot and immunofluorescence staining were used to explore the expression of SCRIB in ESC during in vitro decidualization. siRNA-mediated SCRIB knockdown followed by decidual markers expression analysis, flow cytometry for cell cycle analysis and phalloidin staining for morphological analysis were performed to examine the function of SCRIB in ESC decidualization. RNA-sequencing was performed to examine the SCRIB-mediated transcriptional changes in decidualized ESC (DSC). Rescue experiments using an AKT inhibitor MK2206 and aPKC inhibitor NSC37044 were used to investigate the signaling pathways through which could mediate SCRIB-regulated FOXO1 protein expression and ESC decidualization. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: We found that the expression of SCRIB in the mid-secretory phase eutopic endometrial stroma of adenomyosis patients was significantly lower than that of non-adenomyosis. SCRIB knockdown reduced the expression of decidual markers, abrogated the epithelioid-like morphological changes, inhibited the mesenchymal-to-epithelial transitions process and promoted the cell cycle progression of ESC during in vitro decidualization. SCRIB knockdown-induced decidualization defects were attributed to a decrease in expression of transcription factor FOXO1, known to regulate decidualization. Furthermore, we found that SCRIB knockdown induced the aberrant activation of AKT and aPKC, which led to FOXO1 phosphorylation and degradation. Rescue assay confirmed that restoring the expression of FOXO1 effectively reversed the decidualization defects and cell cycle progression caused by SCRIB knockdown. LARGE SCALE DATA: N/A. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: In this study, it was demonstrated that SCRIB knockdown mediated the activation of AKT and aPKC, contributing to FOXO1 degradation and aberrant decidualization, however, the molecular link between AKT and aPKC signaling was not determined, and still requires further exploration. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Our findings support the hypothesis that adenomyosis interferes with embryo implantation due to insufficient endometrial receptivity. Abnormal decidualization of the endometrial stroma may clarify the possible association between adenomyosis and infertility. Our findings may be clinically useful for counseling and treatment of infertile adenomyosis patients. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82001523 and 82171639). The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

Stromal infiltrating mast cells identify immunoevasive subtype high-grade serous ovarian cancer with poor prognosis and inferior immunotherapeutic response.

Tumor infiltrating mast cells (TIMs), with pro- or anti-tumorigenic role in different types of malignancies, have been implicated in resistance to anti-PD1 therapy. Here, we aimed to identify the relevance of TIMs with the prognosis, immune contexture, and immunotherapy in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). Tissue microarrays containing 197 HGSOC patients were assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for detecting the expression of mast cell tryptase and other immune markers. Kaplan-Meier curve, log-rank test, and Cox regression model were applied to perform survival analysis. Single-cell RNA-seq analysis and flow cytometric analysis were selected to characterize TIMs. Furthermore, short-term HGSOC organoids were employed to validate the effect of TIMs on anti-PD1 therapy. Abundance of stromal TIMs (sTIMs) predicted dismal prognosis and linked to immunoevasive subtype of HGSOC, characterized by increased infiltration of pro-tumor cells (Treg cells, M2-polarized macrophages, and neutrophils) and impaired anti-tumor immune functions. Intensive inter-cell interactions between TIMs and other immune cells were identified, suggesting potential cross-talks to foster an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Organoids derived from sTIMs-low patients were associated with increased response to anti-PD-1 treatment other than the presence of high sTIMs infiltration. A nomogram, constructed by combining FIGO stage, sTIMs, and PD-L1, with an area under the curve (AUC) for predicting 5-year overall survival of 0.771 was better than that of FIGO staging system of 0.619. sTIMs/PD-L1-based classifier has potential clinical application in predicting prognosis of patients with HGSOC. sTIMs-high tumors correlate with immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and possess potential insensitivity to immunotherapy.

Spatial cytotoxic and memory T cells in tumor predict superior survival outcomes in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Although the association between tumor-infiltrating CD3+ T and CD8+ T cells and superior survival in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) has been observed, the different spatial localization of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) possesses heterogeneous effects. We performed localized measurements in 260 HGSOC from 2 independent cohorts represented in tissue microarray format to determine the localized expression pattern and clinical significance of CD3+ T, CD8+ T, and CD45RO+ cells in HGSOC. Different density of spatial localization of CD3+ T, CD8+ T, and CD45RO+ cells exhibited heterogeneous association with OS. The combination of the center of the tumor and invasive margin localized CD8+ T cells (CD8CT&IM ) with the same margin localized CD45RO (CD45ROCT&IM ) was the most robust prognostic predictor. Immune score (IS) was constructed by integrating FIGO stage with CD8CT&IM and CD45ROIM&CT and had the best prognostic value in HGSOC. The low-, intermediate-, and high-IS groups were observed in 44.7%, 41.6%, and 13.7% of patients, respectively. Low-IS identified patients were at higher risk of death compared to high-IS identified patients (HR = 12.426; 95% CI 5.317-29.039, p < 0.001); meanwhile, we evaluate the RMSTs over 10 years of follow-up and obtained RMST values of 104.09 months (95% CI 96.31-111.87 months) in the high-IS group, 75.26 months (95% CI 59.92-90.60 months) in the intermediate-IS group, and 48.68 months (95%CI 38.82-58.54 months) in the low-IS group. In general, spatial localization can modulate the clinical effects of TILs in HGSOC. Thus, the spatial expression of CD8 and CD45RO could aid clinicians to determine the follow-up plan of patients with HGSOC.

The prognostic significance of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To predict the prognosis of cervical cancer, we constructed a novel model with 5 specific cell types and identified a potential biomarker. METHODS: We employed CIBERSORT and xCell method to evaluate the abundances of 23 cells types in tumor microenvironment. Five specific cell types were filtrated to determine different immunotypes by applying least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression method. The expression of immune checkpoints (ICPs) and effectors were validated by immunohistochemistry. Correlation analysis was performed to examine the relevance between PIK3CA mutational status and ICPs. RESULTS: Unsupervised clustering of patients on the basis of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and fibroblasts identified patients with shorter overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio [HR]=3.0729; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.5103-6.2522; p=0.0118). An immunoscore (IS) signature consisting of 5 immune cell types infiltrating in tumor core (CD8T, activated NK cells, neutrophils, activated mast cells, macrophages) was constructed using LASSO Cox regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curves confirmed that the area under the curve of IS was significantly higher to that of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging alone (0.637 vs. 0.55). Survival analysis revealed patients in high IS group exhibited a poorer OS (HR=3.0113; 95% CI=1.8746-4.8373; p<0.0001). The multivariate analysis indicated the IS was an independent prognostic factor. In addition, the lower IS related to higher expression of ICPs and neoantigen load. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of IS in cervical cancer tissues could facilitate patient risk stratification and selection of immunotherapeutic responses, but more prospective studies are needed to assess its reliability.

The immune landscape during the tumorigenesis of cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Deciphering the determinants of the intralesional immune reaction in cervical carcinogenesis may be conducive to improving the understanding of the disease and then improve outcomes. METHODS: Public gene-expression data and full clinical annotation were searched in Gene Expression Omnibus in the joint analysis of the array-based four eligible cohorts. The infiltrating estimation was quantified using microenvironment cell populations-counter algorithm and absolute-mode CIBERSORT and verified by flow cytometry analysis. An unsupervised classification on immune genes strongly associated with progression, designated by linear mixed-effects regression. We determined immune response and signaling features of the different developmental stages and immune phenotypes by functional annotation and systematically correlated the expression of immune checkpoints with cell-infiltrating characteristics. RESULTS: We identified the lesion-intrinsic immunosuppression mechanism was triggered at precancerous stages, such as genome instability and mutation, aerobic glycolysis, activation of proto-oncogene pathways and so forth. Predominant innate and adoptive cells were increasing from normalcy to cancer (B cell, total T cell, regulatory T cells [Tregs], monocytes, neutrophils, and M2-like macrophages) together with the decrease of CD4+ T cell and CD8+ T cell through the development of cervical cancer. Immune escape initiated on the expression of immunosuppressive molecules from high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and culminated in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Of note, the expression of immune checkpoints was escalated in the immune-hot and immune-warm phenotype largely encompassed by HSIL and SCC under the stress of both activated and suppressive immune responses. CONCLUSIONS: Immune surveillance is unleashing from low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions onwards and immune-suppression mechanisms are triggered in HSIL. Thorough knowledge of the immune changing pattern during cervical tumorigenesis contributes to finding the potential therapeutic targets to susceptive patients towards immune checkpoints inhibitors.

Impaired decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells from women with adenomyosis†.

Differentiation of endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) into secretory decidualized cells (dESCs) is essential for embryo implantation. Adenomyosis is a common benign gynecological disease that causes infertility. However, whether adenomyosis affects decidualization of human ESCs is elusive. Primary eutopic ESCs were obtained from patients with adenomyosis (n = 9) and women with nonendometrial diseases (n = 12). We determined the capacity of decidualization of human ESCs by qRT-PCR, Edu proliferation assay, cytokine array, and ELISA assay. We found that the expression of decidualization markers (IGFBP1 and PRL) in ESCs of adenomyosis was reduced, concomitant with increased cell proliferation. Differential secretion of cytokines in dESCs, including CXCL1/2/3, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, VEGF-A, MIP-3α, OPN, SDF-1α, HGF, and MMP-9, was observed between adenomyosis and nonadenomyosis. Moreover, the expression of decidualization regulators (HOXA10 at both mRNA and protein levels, FOXO1, KLF5, CEBPB, and HAND2 at mRNA levels) in the eutopic endometrium of adenomyosis was lower than that of nonadenomyosis. We propose that ESCs from adenomyosis have defected ability to full decidualization, which may lead to a nonreceptive endometrium.

CXCL13 shapes immunoactive tumor microenvironment and enhances the efficacy of PD-1 checkpoint blockade in high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Most patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) lack an effective response to immune checkpoint blockade, highlighting the need for more knowledge about what is required for successful treatment. As follicular cytotoxic CXCR5+CD8+ T cells are maintained by reinvigoration by immune checkpoint blockade in tumors, we attempted to reveal the relationship between CXCR5+CD8+ T cells and the tumor microenvironment to predict immunotherapy responses in HGSC. METHODS: 264 patients with HGSC from two cohorts and 340 HGSC cases from The Cancer Genome Atlas cohort were enrolled. Ex vivo and in vivo studies were conducted with human HGSC tumors and murine tumor models. The spatial correlation between CXC-chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13), CXCR5, CD8, and CD20 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Survival was compared between different subsets of patients using Kaplan-Meier analysis. The therapeutic effect of CXCL13 and programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) blockade was validated using human HGSC tumors and murine models. RESULTS: High CXCL13 expression was associated with prolonged survival. Tumors with high CXCL13 expression exhibited increased infiltration of activated and CXCR5-expressing CD8+ T cells. Incubation with CXCL13 facilitated expansion and activation of CXCR5+CD8+ T cells ex vivo. CXCR5+CD8+ T cells appeared in closer proximity to CXCL13 in tumors and chemotaxis towards CXCL13 in vitro. The combination of CXCL13, CXCR5, and CD8+ T cells was an independent predictor for survival. In addition, CXCL13 was associated with clusters of CD20+ B cells. CD20+ B cells predicted better patient survival in the presence of CXCL13. Histological evaluation highlighted colocalization of CXCL13 with tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs). TLSs carried prognostic benefit only in the presence of CXCL13. CXCL13 in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy retarded tumor growth in a CD8+ T-cell-dependent manner, resulting in increased infiltration of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and CXCR5+CD8+ T cells. CONCLUSIONS: These data define a critical role of CXCL13 in shaping antitumor microenvironment by facilitating the maintenance of CXCR5+CD8+ T cells in TLSs and support a clinical investigation for a combination of CXCL13 and PD-1 blockade therapy in HGSC.

Targeting senescent cells and tumor therapy (Review).

Cell senescence is caused by the activation of cell cycle inhibition pathways induced by an accumulation of cellular damage, where cells permanently leave the cell cycle. Senescent cells undergo changes in cell morphology, transcription, protein homeostasis, metabolism and other characteristic alterations. At the same time, senescent cells are able to resist apoptosis and accumulate in multiple organs and tissues in vivo. Senescent cells are capable of activating inflammatory factor secretion pathways, generating local, non­infectious inflammatory microenvironments within tissues, leading to organ degeneration and the development of aging­associated diseases. A large number of recently published studies have demonstrated that removing senescent cells from the body delays the occurrence of various aging­associated diseases. Therefore, the targeted killing of senescent cells potentially has important clinical applications in the treatment of various aging­associated diseases, aiming to improve the life span of patients. The present review summarizes recent progress that has been made in the field of senescent cell clearance and various anti­aging strategies. The history of cell senescence research is briefly reviewed, along with the association between cell senescence and tumor therapy. Furthermore, the potential of senescent cells to be used as therapeutic targets in various senescence­associated diseases is primarily discussed, and the limitations, as well as the future prospects of this line of research, are reviewed.

Tumour-associated neutrophils orchestrate intratumoural IL-8-driven immune evasion through Jagged2 activation in ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Tumour associated neutrophils (TANs) play a controversial role in regulating immune surveillance and immune evasion in various malignancies. Here, we investigated the relevance of TANs with the prognosis and immune microenvironment of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). METHODS: We characterised TANs using flow cytometric analysis and immunofluorescence analysis. The prognostic merit of TANs in EOC was evaluated using cox regression analysis. Furthermore, we explored the therapeutic merit of targeting Notch signalling in EOC and determined its involvement in the immune microenvironment. RESULTS: High level of TANs is associated with a dismal prognosis and immune tolerance in EOC. TANs impaired cytotoxic effects of CD8+ T cells partly through Jagged2 (JAG2). Notch pathway blocked using γ-secretase inhibitor LY3039478 and anti-JAG2 antibody led to retarded tumour growth and augmented cytotoxic effects of CD8+ T cells. IL-8 contributes to the recruitment of TANs and the induction of JAG2 expression in TANs. Blockade of CXCR2 signalling reduces tumour growth rate, accompanied by a decreasing amount of TANs and increasing activity of CD8+ T cells. JAG2+TANs is an independent predictor of clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: JAG2+TANs are closely linked to IL-8-driven immune evasion microenvironment and may serve as a promising therapeutic target for the reinvigoration of anti-tumour immunity.

Celecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, markedly reduced the severity of tamoxifen-induced adenomyosis in a murine model.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the selective cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitor celecoxib on the development of uterine adenomyosis in mice. ICR neonatal mice were first exposed to tamoxifen to establish a mouse model of adenomyosis. Following 60 days of celecoxib treatment, pathological formation of adenomyosis lesions and the depth of myometrial infiltration were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin staining. To examine thermal pain modulation in mice, a hotplate test was conducted every 15 days from postnatal day 30 onwards. Immunohistochemistry was performed to assess the expression of aromatase P450, N-cadherin, E-cadherin, COX-2 and cluster of differentiation 31, whereas the levels of estrogen were analyzed in uterine tissue homogenates using ELISA. Masson trichrome staining was performed to assess the extent of fibrosis in the uterus. Celecoxib treatment significantly inhibited the depth of infiltration into the myometrium, resulting in significantly reduced disease severity. Treatment with high doses of celecoxib significantly prolonged thermal response latency. Following celecoxib treatment, the expression of E-cadherin was significantly increased whereas the expression of N-cadherin was significantly decreased. Concomitantly, the extent of fibrosis was also reduced following celecoxib treatment. Uterine tissue homogenates isolated from mice treated with both high and low doses of celecoxib exhibited lower concentrations of estrogen and decreased expression of aromatase P450. These observations suggest that celecoxib reduces adenomyosis severity by suppressing estrogen production in the uterus, reversing epithelial-mesenchymal transition and relieving fibrosis. Taken together, the results of the present study support the potential use of celecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, for the treatment of adenomyosis.