BACKGROUND Primary liver cancer includes three subtypes:Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(CCA),and combined hepatocellular carcinoma.Patients with primary liver cancer experienced poor prog...BACKGROUND Primary liver cancer includes three subtypes:Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(CCA),and combined hepatocellular carcinoma.Patients with primary liver cancer experienced poor prognosis and high mortality,so early detection of liver cancer and improved management of metastases are both key strategies to reduce the death toll from liver cancer.Prostate-specific membrane antigen(PSMA)expression in the tumor-associated neovasculature of nonprostate malignancies including liver cancer has been reported recently,but conclusive evidence of PSMA expression based on the pathological type of liver cancer remains limited.AIM To study the expression of PSMA in HCC,CCA,and liver cirrhosis.METHODS A total of 446 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded(FFPE)liver tumor and liver cirrhosis tissue samples were obtained retrospectively from the Pathology Department of Tongji Hospital.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect PSMA expression in these 446 FFPE liver biopsy specimens(213 HCC,203 CCA,and 30 liver cirrhosis).The tumor compartment and the associated neovascular endothelium were separately analyzed.PSMA expression was examined by two certified pathologists,and the final results were presented in a 4-point scoring system(0-3 points).Correlation between PSMA expression and clinicopathological information was also assessed.RESULTS PSMA was expressed primarily in the neovascular endothelium associated with tumors.The positive rate of PSMA staining in HCC was significantly higher than that in CCA(86.8%vs 79.3%;P=0.001)but was only 6.6%in liver cirrhosis(P=0.000).HCC cases had more 3-score PSMA staining than CCA had(89/213,41.8%vs 35/203,17.2%;P=0.001).PSMA expression correlated positively with the stage and grade of HCC and CCA.In both liver cancer subtypes,there were more PSMA+cases in stages III–V diseases than in stages I and II.High staining intensity of PSMA was more frequently observed in liver cancers at high grade and advanced stage.There was no significant association of PSMA expression with sex,age,region,α-fetoprotein,hepatitis B surface antigen,or tumor size in both tumor subtypes.CONCLUSION Neovascular PSMA may be a promising marker to differentiate HCC from liver cirrhosis and a prognostic marker for anti-tumor angiogenesis therapy for HCC.展开更多
Imaging has a central role in the context of focal therapy(FT)for prostate cancer(PCa).Prostate-specific membrane antigen(PSMA)positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging(PET/MRI)is a novel imaging modalit...Imaging has a central role in the context of focal therapy(FT)for prostate cancer(PCa).Prostate-specific membrane antigen(PSMA)positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging(PET/MRI)is a novel imaging modality that combines the morpho-functional information of MRI with the molecular characterization of PET.Some papers reported the potential advantages of PSMA PET/MRI in different clinical scenarios.Limited evidence on PSMA PET/MRI is available in the setting of FT.PSMA PET/MRI can be an effective imaging modality for detecting primary PCa and seems to provide accurate local staging of primary PCa.PSMA PET/MRI also shows high performance for restaging and detecting tumor recurrence.The higher soft-tissue contrast and the reduction of ionizing radiation are the main advantages reported in the literature compared to PET/computed tomography.PSMA PET/MRI could represent a turning point in the management of patients with PCa in the context of FT.Further studies are needed to confirm its applications in this specific clinical setting.展开更多
Background:The mortality of castration-resistant prostate cancer(CRPC)is high due to lack of an effective treatment.Chimeric antigen receptor(CAR)-based therapy is a promising immunotherapeutic strategy.Here,we aimed ...Background:The mortality of castration-resistant prostate cancer(CRPC)is high due to lack of an effective treatment.Chimeric antigen receptor(CAR)-based therapy is a promising immunotherapeutic strategy.Here,we aimed to design a novel CAR-natural killer(NK)cells with a clinically significant tumoricidal effect on CRPC.Methods:We constructed novel CAR-NK92MI cells with a CD244-based recombinant lentiviral vector.Different intracellular segments(CD244,NKG2D,or CD3ζ)were screened to identify the best candidate according to cell lysis assay and CD107a expression levels.To enhance the affinity of the CAR to the tumor antigen,we compared an antibody specific for prostate-specific membrane antigen(anti-PSMA)with PSMA-targeted polypeptide(p-PSMA),which was screened by phage display combinatorial library.Then,CAR-NK92MI cells with both a high affinity for PSMA and a strong tumoricidal capacity were generated.In addition,we verified their tumor-killing effect in vitro and in vivo.The release of cytokine by NK92MI cells was compared with that by CAR-NK92MI cells through flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Moreover,ferroptosis-related cell death was explored as a possible underlying mechanism.Results:Three different CAR intracellular regions CAR1(CD244),CAR2(CD244,NKG2D)and CAR3(CD244,NKG2D,and CD3ζ)were constructed.CAR2 was chosen to confer a stronger tumoricidal ability on CAR-NK92MI cells.Compared with anti-PSMA,p-PSMA exhibited enhanced affinity for the tumor antigen.Thus,p-PSMA-CAR-NK92MI cells,which expressed CAR with a polypeptide-based antigen-binding region,an intracellular CD244 and a NKG2D costimulatory domain,were generated.They could selectively and successfully kill PSMA+target cells and exhibited specific lysis rate of 73.19%for PSMA-positive C4-2 cells and 33.04%for PSMA-negative PC3 cells.Additionally,p-PSMA-CAR-NK92MI cells had significantly higher concentrations of IFN-γ,TNF-αand granzyme B than NK92MI cells.In a CRPC cancer xenograft model,p-PSMA-CAR-NK92MI cells significantly inhibited tumor growth and exerted a more consistent killing effect than NK92MI cells.Moreover,ferroptosis is a potential mechanism through which CAR-NK92MI cells attack cancer cells,and is triggered by IFN-γ.Conclusions:p-PSMA-CAR-NK92MI cells can effectively kill CRPCPSMA+cells in vitro and in vivo.This strategy may provide additional treatment options for patients with CRPC.展开更多
Aim:Ligand-targeted therapeutics are experiencing increasing use for treatment of human diseases due to their ability to concentrate a desired drug at a pathologic site while reducing accumulation in healthy tissues.F...Aim:Ligand-targeted therapeutics are experiencing increasing use for treatment of human diseases due to their ability to concentrate a desired drug at a pathologic site while reducing accumulation in healthy tissues.For many ligand-targeted drug conjugates,a critical aspect of conjugate design lies in engineering release of the therapeutic payload to occur only after its internalization by targeted cells.Because disulfide bond reduction is frequently exploited to ensure intracellular drug release,an understanding of the redox properties of endocytic compartments can be critical to ligand-targeted drug design.While the redox properties of folate receptor trafficking endosomes have been previously reported,little is known about the trafficking of prostate-specific membrane antigen(PSMA),a receptor that is experiencing increasing use for drug targeting in humans.Methods:To obtain this information,we have constructed a PSMA-targeted fluorescence resonance energy transfer pair that reports on disulfide bond reduction by changing fluorescence from red to green.Results:We show here that this reporter exhibits rapid and selective uptake by PSMA-positive cells,and that reduction of its disulfide bond proceeds steadily but incompletely following internalization.The fact that maximal disulfide reduction reaches only~50%,even after 24 h incubation,suggests that roughly half of the conjugates must traffic through endosomes that display no reducing capacity.Conclusion:As the level of disulfide reduction differs between PSMA trafficked and previously published folate trafficked conjugates,it also follows that not all internalizing receptors are translocated through similar intracellular compartments.Taken together,these data suggest that the efficiency of disulfide bond reduction must be independently analyzed for each receptor trafficking pathway when disulfide bond reduction is exploited for intracellular drug release.展开更多
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81873903,No.81671718,No.91959119 and No.81271600Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province in China,No.2016CFB687.
文摘BACKGROUND Primary liver cancer includes three subtypes:Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(CCA),and combined hepatocellular carcinoma.Patients with primary liver cancer experienced poor prognosis and high mortality,so early detection of liver cancer and improved management of metastases are both key strategies to reduce the death toll from liver cancer.Prostate-specific membrane antigen(PSMA)expression in the tumor-associated neovasculature of nonprostate malignancies including liver cancer has been reported recently,but conclusive evidence of PSMA expression based on the pathological type of liver cancer remains limited.AIM To study the expression of PSMA in HCC,CCA,and liver cirrhosis.METHODS A total of 446 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded(FFPE)liver tumor and liver cirrhosis tissue samples were obtained retrospectively from the Pathology Department of Tongji Hospital.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect PSMA expression in these 446 FFPE liver biopsy specimens(213 HCC,203 CCA,and 30 liver cirrhosis).The tumor compartment and the associated neovascular endothelium were separately analyzed.PSMA expression was examined by two certified pathologists,and the final results were presented in a 4-point scoring system(0-3 points).Correlation between PSMA expression and clinicopathological information was also assessed.RESULTS PSMA was expressed primarily in the neovascular endothelium associated with tumors.The positive rate of PSMA staining in HCC was significantly higher than that in CCA(86.8%vs 79.3%;P=0.001)but was only 6.6%in liver cirrhosis(P=0.000).HCC cases had more 3-score PSMA staining than CCA had(89/213,41.8%vs 35/203,17.2%;P=0.001).PSMA expression correlated positively with the stage and grade of HCC and CCA.In both liver cancer subtypes,there were more PSMA+cases in stages III–V diseases than in stages I and II.High staining intensity of PSMA was more frequently observed in liver cancers at high grade and advanced stage.There was no significant association of PSMA expression with sex,age,region,α-fetoprotein,hepatitis B surface antigen,or tumor size in both tumor subtypes.CONCLUSION Neovascular PSMA may be a promising marker to differentiate HCC from liver cirrhosis and a prognostic marker for anti-tumor angiogenesis therapy for HCC.
文摘Imaging has a central role in the context of focal therapy(FT)for prostate cancer(PCa).Prostate-specific membrane antigen(PSMA)positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging(PET/MRI)is a novel imaging modality that combines the morpho-functional information of MRI with the molecular characterization of PET.Some papers reported the potential advantages of PSMA PET/MRI in different clinical scenarios.Limited evidence on PSMA PET/MRI is available in the setting of FT.PSMA PET/MRI can be an effective imaging modality for detecting primary PCa and seems to provide accurate local staging of primary PCa.PSMA PET/MRI also shows high performance for restaging and detecting tumor recurrence.The higher soft-tissue contrast and the reduction of ionizing radiation are the main advantages reported in the literature compared to PET/computed tomography.PSMA PET/MRI could represent a turning point in the management of patients with PCa in the context of FT.Further studies are needed to confirm its applications in this specific clinical setting.
基金Capital Science and Technology LeadingTalent Project, Grant/Award Number:Z181100006318007National NaturalScience Foundation of China,Grant/Award Numbers: 81972400,32100631+2 种基金Beijing Excellent TalentsProgram-Youth Backbone Project,Grant/Award Number:2018000032600G393Young EliteScientists Sponsorship Program by ChinaAssociation for Science and Technology,Grant/Award Number: YESS20210056Beijing Hope Run Special Fund of CancerFoundation of China, Grant/AwardNumber: LC2019B02。
文摘Background:The mortality of castration-resistant prostate cancer(CRPC)is high due to lack of an effective treatment.Chimeric antigen receptor(CAR)-based therapy is a promising immunotherapeutic strategy.Here,we aimed to design a novel CAR-natural killer(NK)cells with a clinically significant tumoricidal effect on CRPC.Methods:We constructed novel CAR-NK92MI cells with a CD244-based recombinant lentiviral vector.Different intracellular segments(CD244,NKG2D,or CD3ζ)were screened to identify the best candidate according to cell lysis assay and CD107a expression levels.To enhance the affinity of the CAR to the tumor antigen,we compared an antibody specific for prostate-specific membrane antigen(anti-PSMA)with PSMA-targeted polypeptide(p-PSMA),which was screened by phage display combinatorial library.Then,CAR-NK92MI cells with both a high affinity for PSMA and a strong tumoricidal capacity were generated.In addition,we verified their tumor-killing effect in vitro and in vivo.The release of cytokine by NK92MI cells was compared with that by CAR-NK92MI cells through flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Moreover,ferroptosis-related cell death was explored as a possible underlying mechanism.Results:Three different CAR intracellular regions CAR1(CD244),CAR2(CD244,NKG2D)and CAR3(CD244,NKG2D,and CD3ζ)were constructed.CAR2 was chosen to confer a stronger tumoricidal ability on CAR-NK92MI cells.Compared with anti-PSMA,p-PSMA exhibited enhanced affinity for the tumor antigen.Thus,p-PSMA-CAR-NK92MI cells,which expressed CAR with a polypeptide-based antigen-binding region,an intracellular CD244 and a NKG2D costimulatory domain,were generated.They could selectively and successfully kill PSMA+target cells and exhibited specific lysis rate of 73.19%for PSMA-positive C4-2 cells and 33.04%for PSMA-negative PC3 cells.Additionally,p-PSMA-CAR-NK92MI cells had significantly higher concentrations of IFN-γ,TNF-αand granzyme B than NK92MI cells.In a CRPC cancer xenograft model,p-PSMA-CAR-NK92MI cells significantly inhibited tumor growth and exerted a more consistent killing effect than NK92MI cells.Moreover,ferroptosis is a potential mechanism through which CAR-NK92MI cells attack cancer cells,and is triggered by IFN-γ.Conclusions:p-PSMA-CAR-NK92MI cells can effectively kill CRPCPSMA+cells in vitro and in vivo.This strategy may provide additional treatment options for patients with CRPC.
文摘Aim:Ligand-targeted therapeutics are experiencing increasing use for treatment of human diseases due to their ability to concentrate a desired drug at a pathologic site while reducing accumulation in healthy tissues.For many ligand-targeted drug conjugates,a critical aspect of conjugate design lies in engineering release of the therapeutic payload to occur only after its internalization by targeted cells.Because disulfide bond reduction is frequently exploited to ensure intracellular drug release,an understanding of the redox properties of endocytic compartments can be critical to ligand-targeted drug design.While the redox properties of folate receptor trafficking endosomes have been previously reported,little is known about the trafficking of prostate-specific membrane antigen(PSMA),a receptor that is experiencing increasing use for drug targeting in humans.Methods:To obtain this information,we have constructed a PSMA-targeted fluorescence resonance energy transfer pair that reports on disulfide bond reduction by changing fluorescence from red to green.Results:We show here that this reporter exhibits rapid and selective uptake by PSMA-positive cells,and that reduction of its disulfide bond proceeds steadily but incompletely following internalization.The fact that maximal disulfide reduction reaches only~50%,even after 24 h incubation,suggests that roughly half of the conjugates must traffic through endosomes that display no reducing capacity.Conclusion:As the level of disulfide reduction differs between PSMA trafficked and previously published folate trafficked conjugates,it also follows that not all internalizing receptors are translocated through similar intracellular compartments.Taken together,these data suggest that the efficiency of disulfide bond reduction must be independently analyzed for each receptor trafficking pathway when disulfide bond reduction is exploited for intracellular drug release.
