Cancer gene therapy最新文献

{"title":"Chronic stress promotes non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression through circMBOAT2 upregulation mediated by CTCF","authors":"Ting Zhou, Zhicong Chen, Yitian Chen, Canye Li, Zhijun Xiao, Jingjing Duan, Zhen Yang, Feng Xu","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00830-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00830-3","url":null,"abstract":"Circular RNA (circRNA) has been demonstrated to play a pivotal role in tumor development. This study aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanism of circMBOAT2 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its association with tumor growth induced by chronic stress. We constructed stably transfected A549 and H1299 cell lines with circMBOAT2 overexpression and knockdown. Colony formation, scratch healing, Transwell and CCK-8 assays were conducted to evaluate the effects of circMBOAT2 in the presence or absence of norepinephrine (NE) treatment on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells, respectively. Additionally, A chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression with heterotopic transplantation LLC and injection of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) targeting circMBOAT2 mouse model was established to evaluate the effect of chronic stress on tumorigenesis via circMBOAT2. Moreover, we investigated the regulatory effect of CCCTC binding factor (CTCF) on circMBOAT2 expression through in vivo and in vitro silencing of CTCF. Our results revealed a significant upregulation of circMBOAT2 in NSCLC cell lines and tumor tissues. circMBOAT2 knockdown inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells, while NE treatment reversed the cell suppression effect caused by circMBOAT2 knockdown. Notably, CUMS promoted tumor growth, while silencing circMBOAT2 inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, we identified CTCF as the upstream regulator of circMBOAT2, which exhibited upregulation in NSCLC cells and tissues. Knockdown of CTCF reversed the promotional effect of CUMS on circMBOAT2 expression and tumor growth. Our findings provide evidence that CTCF mediates chronic stress in promoting of NSCLC progression through circMBOAT2. circMBOAT2 may serve as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for NSCLC as well as the treatment of comorbid depression in NSCLC patients.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 11","pages":"1721-1733"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41417-024-00830-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142280636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"BAG2, MAD2L1, and MDK are cancer-driver genes and candidate targets for novel therapies in malignant pleural mesothelioma","authors":"Luisa Bisceglia, Federica Morani, Lara Guerrieri, Eric Santoni-Rugiu, Pınar Çakılkaya, Cristian Scatena, Rosa Scarpitta, Lars H. Engelholm, Niels Behrendt, Federica Gemignani, Stefano Landi","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00805-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00805-4","url":null,"abstract":"Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis and the identification of novel druggable targets is urgently needed. In previous work, we identified 15 deregulated genes highly expressed in MPM tissues and correlated with a poor prognosis. Here, we validated these findings on an independent dataset of 211 MPM patients (EGA, EGAD00001001915) and on a panel of MPM cell lines. Furthermore, we carried out in vitro gene silencing followed by proliferation, cytotoxicity, caspase, and migration assays to define whether these targets could be cancer-driver genes. We ended up with three novel candidates (i.e., BAG2, MAD2L1, and MDK), whose encoded proteins could be exploited as druggable targets. Moreover, of novelty, immunohistochemistry analysis on tissues revealed that the overexpression of BAG2 and MAD2L1 could differentiate MPM from RMP patients. Furthermore, when we tested Neratinib (an inhibitor of MAD2L1) and iMDK (an inhibitor of MDK) we found that they are effective on MPM cells, in part phenocopying the effects of MAD2L1 and MDK gene silencing. In summary, in the present work, we report that BAG2, MAD2L1, and MDK are bona fide cancer-driver genes for MPM worth of further studies.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 11","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41417-024-00805-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142280635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"HN1-mediated activation of lipogenesis through Akt-SREBP signaling promotes hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and metastasis","authors":"Hua Jin, Ruoyu Meng, Cong Shan Li, Seong-Hun Kim, Ok Hee Chai, Young-Hoon Lee, Byung-Hyun Park, Ju-Seog Lee, Soo Mi Kim","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00827-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00827-y","url":null,"abstract":"Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with more than 800,000 deaths each year, and its 5-year survival rate is less than 12%. The role of the HN1 gene in HCC has remained elusive, despite its upregulation in various cancer types. In our investigation, we identified HN1’s heightened expression in HCC tissues, which, upon overexpression, fosters cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, unveiling its role as an oncogene in HCC. In addition, silencing HN1 diminished the viability and metastasis of HCC cells, whereas HN1 overexpression stimulated their growth and invasion. Gene expression profiling revealed HN1 silencing downregulated 379 genes and upregulated 130 genes, and suppressive proteins associated with the lipogenic signaling pathway networks. Notably, suppressing HN1 markedly decreased the expression levels of SREBP1 and SREBP2, whereas elevating HN1 had the converse effect. This dual modulation of HN1 affected lipid formation, hindering it upon HN1 silencing and promoting it upon HN1 overexpression. Moreover, HN1 triggers the Akt pathway, fostering tumorigenesis via SREBP1-mediated lipogenesis and silencing HN1 effectively curbed HCC tumor growth in mouse xenograft models by deactivating SREBP-1, emphasizing the potential of HN1 as a therapeutic target, impacting both external and internal factors, it holds promise as an effective therapeutic strategy for HCC.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 11","pages":"1669-1687"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142198233","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Caveolin-1 knockout mitigates breast cancer metastasis to the lungs via integrin α3 dysregulation in 4T1-induced syngeneic breast cancer model","authors":"Dhirendra Pratap Singh, Rashmi Pathak, Naveen Chintalaramulu, Abhishek Pandit, Avinash Kumar, Philip J. Ebenezer, Sanjay Kumar, Alexander Duplooy, Mary Evelyn White, Nithya Jambunathan, Rohan Dharmakumar, Joseph Francis","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00821-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00821-4","url":null,"abstract":"Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is a critical lipid raft protein playing dual roles as both a tumor suppressor and promoter. While its role in tumorigenesis, progression, and metastasis has been recognized, the explicit contribution of Cav-1 to the onset of lung metastasis from primary breast malignancies remains unclear. Here, we present the first evidence that Cav-1 knockout in mammary epithelial cells significantly reduces lung metastasis in syngeneic breast cancer mouse models. In vitro, Cav-1 knockout in 4T1 cells suppressed extracellular vesicle secretion, cellular motility, and MMP secretion compared to controls. Complementing this, in vivo analyses demonstrated a marked reduction in lung metastatic foci in mice injected with Cav-1 knockout 4T1 cells as compared to wild-type cells, which was further corroborated by mRNA profiling of the primary tumor. We identified 21 epithelial cell migration genes exhibiting varied expression in tumors derived from Cav-1 knockout and wild-type 4T1 cells. Correlation analysis and immunoblotting further revealed that Cav-1 might regulate metastasis via integrin α3 (ITGα3). In silico protein docking predicted an interaction between Cav-1 and ITGα3, which was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation. Furthermore, Cav-1 and ITGα3 knockdown corroborated its role in metastasis in the cell migration assay.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 11","pages":"1658-1668"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41417-024-00821-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142145275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Exon Junction Complex component EIF4A3 plays a splicing-linked oncogenic role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma","authors":"Ricardo Blázquez-Encinas, Emilia Alors-Pérez, María Trinidad Moreno-Montilla, Víctor García-Vioque, Marina Esther Sánchez-Frías, Andrea Mafficini, Juan L. López-Cánovas, Corinne Bousquet, Manuel D. Gahete, Rita T. Lawlor, Raúl M. Luque, Aldo Scarpa, Álvaro Arjona‐Sánchez, Sergio Pedraza-Arevalo, Alejandro Ibáñez-Costa, Justo P. Castaño","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00814-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00814-3","url":null,"abstract":"Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers, underscoring the urgent need for in-depth biological research. The phenomenon of alternative RNA splicing dysregulation is a common hallmark in cancer, including PDAC, presenting new avenues for understanding and developing diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Our research focuses on EIF4A3, a core component of the Exon Junction Complex intimately linked to RNA splicing, and its role in PDAC. EIF4A3 is overexpressed in PDAC tissue and associated to clinical parameters of malignancy and poorer patient survival. Mechanistically, exploration of PDAC RNA-seq data unveiled the link of EIF4A3 to diverse malignancy processes, consistent with its association to key molecular pathways. EIF4A3 targeting in vitro decreased essential functional tumor features such as proliferation, migration, colony formation and sphere formation, while its in vivo targeting reduced tumor growth. EIF4A3 silencing in PDAC cell lines severely altered its transcriptional and spliceosomic landscapes, as shown by RNA-seq analyses, suggesting a role for EIF4A3 in maintaining RNA homeostasis. Our results indicate that EIF4A3 dysregulation in PDAC has a pleiotropic regulatory role on RNA biology, influencing key cellular functions. This paves the way to explore its potential as novel biomarker and actionable target candidate for this lethal cancer.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 11","pages":"1646-1657"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41417-024-00814-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142131961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"NF-κB-activated oncogene inhibition strategy for cancer gene therapy","authors":"Wei Dai, Jian Wu, Yingchun Shui, Qiuyue Wu, Jinke Wang, Xinyi Xia","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00828-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00828-x","url":null,"abstract":"NF-κB is a promising target for cancer treatment because of its overactivation in almost all cancers but countless NF-κB inhibitors rarely became clinical drugs due to side effects. In contrast to traditional cancer treatments aimed at inhibiting NF-κB activity, this study develop a novel approach termed HOPE, which focuses on activating the exogenous effector gene CRISPR-Cas13a within cancer cells, achieved by utilizing the NF-κB-specific promoter DMP previously constructed, then targets and suppresses the expression of oncogenes TERT, PLK1, KRAS and MYC at mRNA level. We evaluated the antitumour effects of HOPE in various cultured cells and confirmed it could induce obvious the death of cancer cells without affecting normal cells. By packaging HOPE into adeno-associated virus (AAV) and intravenously injected it to treat mice that were subcutaneously transplanted with colorectal cancer. This validated that rAAV-HOPE could significantly inhibit tumour growth without side effects. Based on the scRNA-seq data, we observed that HOPE could activate the immune system and decrease the proportion of cancer cells, particularly reducing the stemness of cancer cells. This study elucidates an important role of HOPE in inhibiting cancer cell growth both in vitro and in vivo, additionally provides a novel therapeutic technology for cancer gene therapy.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 11","pages":"1632-1645"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41417-024-00828-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142124917","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"ZNF460-mediated upregulation of APCDD1L-DT promotes cholangiocarcinoma development by inhibiting the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of DVL2","authors":"Xin Gao, Xinlei Zou, Canghai Guan, Xiangjun Sha, Sidi Liu, Xinmiao Zhang, Chengru Yang, Xiangyu Zhong, Xingming Jiang","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00826-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00826-z","url":null,"abstract":"Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), known for its aggressive nature, poses a formidable challenge in the current medical landscape, particularly in targeted therapies. Against this backdrop, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have captured the attention of researchers. These unique RNAs are believed to play pivotal roles in various cancers, offering promising avenues for the development of more effective treatment strategies. Previous studies have substantiated the aberrant expression of the APCDD1L-DT in numerous human tumors, demonstrating its positive regulatory roles in disease progression. Nevertheless, the biological functions of APCDD1L-DT in CCA are still not fully understood. This study marks the inaugural documentation of APCDD1L-DT exhibiting aberrant expression in CCA specimen, establishing a close correlation with the TNM staging of tumor patients. Furthermore, suppressing APCDD1L-DT expression hinders both the viability and motility of tumor cells. Mechanistically, the abnormal activation of the transcription factor ZNF460 positively regulated APCDD1L-DT expression in CCA. This activation, in turn, propels the abnormal activation of the Wnt pathway, fostering tumor development by impeding the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of DVL2. Broadly speaking, this study provides auspicious perspectives for comprehending CCA and furnishes support for addressing this daunting malignancy.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 10","pages":"1585-1597"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142104712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"FGFR4-specific CAR-T cells with inducible caspase-9 suicide gene as an approach to treat rhabdomyosarcoma","authors":"Wei Xiao, Liping Xu, Jinghua Wang, Kuai Yu, Bushu Xu, Yi Que, Jingjing Zhao, Qiuzhong Pan, Chengqi Gao, Penghui Zhou, Xing Zhang","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00823-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00823-2","url":null,"abstract":"Metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma is associated with poor survival and unsatisfactory treatment outcomes. Therefore, new immunotherapeutic methods are urgently required. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4), a new therapeutic target for rhabdomyosarcoma, plays a crucial role in its onset and development. This study aimed to generate FGFR4 single-chain variable fragment-based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells without causing evident toxicity and incorporating an inducible caspase-9 (iCasp9) suicide gene system to enhance their safety. FGFR4 antigen expression was evaluated in normal murine tissues, normal human tissues, and specimens from patients with rhabdomyosarcoma. Combined with a 4-1BB co-stimulatory domain, a CD3ζ signaling domain, and an iCasp9 suicide gene, CAR-T cells with an FGFR4-specific single-chain variable fragment were developed. The specific cytotoxic effects, T-cell proliferation, cytokine secretion, apoptosis induction by chemical dimerization (AP20187), and toxicity of FGFR4 CAR-T cells were investigated in vitro and in vivo. FGFR4 CAR-T cells generated a variety of immune-promoting cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 2, and interferon γ, and displayed effective cytotoxic activity against FGFR4-overexpressing rhabdomyosarcoma cells in vitro. FGFR4 CAR-T cells were relatively effective against FGFR4-overexpressing rhabdomyosarcoma, with tumor regression and poor survival in a subcutaneous xenograft model. The iCasp9 gene was incorporated into FGFR4 CAR-T cells and it was demonstrated that effective and reliable suicide gene activity depends on the administration of AP20187. By making use of the cross-reaction of FGFR4 CAR-T cells with murine FGFR4 in a syngeneic tumor model, this study found that FGFR4 CAR-T cells could regulate the growth of tumors without evident toxicity. Our study demonstrates that FGFR4 is a prospective target for CAR-T cell therapy in rhabdomyosarcoma without serious on-target off-tumor toxicity. FGFR4 CAR-T cells with the iCasp9 suicide gene system as a safety switch to limit toxicity may broaden the clinical applications of cellular therapy.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 10","pages":"1571-1584"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41417-024-00823-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142055089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification of KIFC1 as a putative vulnerability in lung cancers with centrosome amplification","authors":"Christopher Zhang, Benson Z. Wu, Caterina Di Ciano-Oliveira, Yin Fang Wu, Sharon S. Khavkine Binstock, Isabel Soria-Bretones, Nhu-An Pham, Andrew J. Elia, Raj Chari, Wan L. Lam, Mark R. Bray, Tak W. Mak, Ming-Sound Tsao, David W. Cescon, Kelsie L. Thu","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00824-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00824-1","url":null,"abstract":"Centrosome amplification (CA), an abnormal increase in the number of centrosomes in the cell, is a recurrent phenomenon in lung and other malignancies. Although CA promotes tumor development and progression by inducing genomic instability (GIN), it also induces mitotic stress that jeopardizes cellular integrity. CA leads to the formation of multipolar mitotic spindles that can cause lethal chromosome segregation errors. To sustain the benefits of CA by mitigating its consequences, malignant cells are dependent on adaptive mechanisms that represent therapeutic vulnerabilities. We aimed to discover genetic dependencies associated with CA in lung cancer. Combining a CRISPR/Cas9 functional genomics screen with tumor genomic analyses, we identified the motor protein KIFC1, also known as HSET, as a putative vulnerability specifically in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) with CA. KIFC1 expression was positively correlated with CA in LUAD and associated with worse patient outcomes, smoking history, and indicators of GIN. KIFC1 loss-of-function sensitized LUAD cells with high basal KIFC1 expression to potentiation of CA, which was associated with a diminished ability to cluster extra centrosomes into pseudo-bipolar mitotic spindles. Our work suggests that KIFC1 inhibition represents a novel approach for potentiating GIN to lethal levels in LUAD with CA by forcing cells to divide with multipolar spindles, rationalizing further studies to investigate its therapeutic potential.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 10","pages":"1559-1570"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41417-024-00824-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142046416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mesothelin expression correlates with elevated inhibitory immune activity in patients with colorectal cancer","authors":"Midhun Malla, Sachin Kumar Deshmukh, Sharon Wu, Timothy Samec, Dane C. Olevian, Reima El Naili, Bassel El-Rayes, Joanne Xiu, Alex Farrell, Heinz-Josef Lenz, Emil Lou, Sanjay Goel, David Spetzler, Richard M. Goldberg, Lori Hazlehurst","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00816-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00816-1","url":null,"abstract":"The expression of the protein Mesothelin (MSLN) is highly variable in several malignancies, including colorectal cancer (CRC), and high levels are associated with aggressive clinicopathological features and worse patient survival. Colorectal cancer is both a common and deadly cancer; being the third most common in incidence and second most common cause of cancer-related death. While systemic therapy remains the primary therapeutic option for most patients with stage IV (metastatic; m) CRC, their disease eventually becomes treatment refractory, and 85% succumb within 5 years. Microsatellite-stable (MSS) CRC tumors, which constitute more than 90% of patients with mCRC, are generally refractory to immunotherapeutic interventions. In our current work, we characterize MSLN levels in CRC, specifically correlating expression with clinical outcomes in relevant CRC subtypes, and explore how MSLN expression impacts the status of immune activation and suppression in the peritumoral microenvironment. Higher MSLN expression is prevalent in CMS1 and CMS4 CRC subtypes and correlates with higher gene mutation rates across the patient cohorts. Further, MSLN-high patients exhibit increased M1/M2 macrophage infiltration, PD-L1 staining, immune-inhibitory gene expression, enrichment in inflammatory, TGF-β, IL6/JAK/STAT3, IL2/STAT5 signaling pathways, and mutation in KRAS and FBXW7. Together, these results suggest that MSLN protein is a potential target for antigen-specific therapy and supports investigation into its tumorigenic effects to identify possible therapeutic interventions for patients with high MSLN expressing MSS CRC.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 10","pages":"1547-1558"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41417-024-00816-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142035280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}