We have previously reported that adoptive transfer of tumor-draining lymph node (TDLN) B cells confers tumor regression in a spontaneous pulmonary metastasis mouse model of breast cancer. In this study, we identified IL-10-producing cells within these B cells, and found that IL-10 removal, either by using IL-10−/− TDLN B cells or by systemic neutralization of IL-10, significantly augmented the therapeutic efficacy of adoptively transferred TDLN B cells. Depletion of IL-10 in B-cell adoptive transfers significantly increased cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTLs) and B-cell activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and splenic cells in the recipient. Activated TDLN B cells express Fas ligand, which was further enhanced by co-culture of these TDLN B cells with 4T1 tumor cells. Effector B cells killed tumor cells directly in vitro in an antigen-specific and Fas ligand-dependent manner. Trafficking of TDLN B cells in vivo suggested that they were recruited to the tumor and lung as well as secondary lymphoid organs. These findings further define the biological function of antitumor effector B cells, which may offer alternative cellular therapies to cancer.

The present study determined the role and mechanism of miR-138 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In total, 45 freshly resected clinical NSCLC tissues were collected. The expression of miR-138 in tissues and cell lines were determined by real-time quantitative PCR. miR-138 mimics were transfected into A549 and Calu-3 cells in vitro, and then the effects of miR-138 on lung cancer cell proliferation, cell cycle, invasion and metastasis were investigated by CCK-8 assay, Transwell and flow cytometry, respectively. The protein expression of the potential target gene Sirt1 in lung cancer cells were determined by western blot analysis. Dual-Luciferase reporter assay was performed to further confirm whether Sirt1 was the target gene of miR-138. The expression of miR-138 was significantly lower in lung cancer tissues and was negatively correlated to the differentiation degree and lymph node metastasis of lung cancer. In vitro experiment results showed that miR-138 inhibited lung cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration. It was verified that miR-138 could downregulate Sirt1 protein expression, inhibit epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), decrease the activity of AMPK signaling pathway and elevate mTOR phosphorylation level. Dual-Luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that miR-138 could directly regulate Sirt1. Downregulation of Sirt1 alone can also cause the same molecular and biological function changes. Western blot analysis and confocal microscopy results indicated that overexpression of miR-138 or interference of Sirt1 expression could inhibit lung cancer cell autophagy activity possibly through AMPK-mTOR signaling pathway. miR-138 plays a tumor suppressor function in lung cancer. It may inhibit the proliferation, invasion and migration of lung cancer through downregulation of Sirt1 expression and activation of cell autophagy. The downregulation of miR-138 is closely related to the development of lung cancer.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology has revolutionized cancer treatment, particularly in malignant hematological tumors. Currently, the BCMA-targeted second-generation CAR-T cells have showed impressive efficacy in the treatment of refractory/relapsed multiple myeloma (R/R MM), but up to 50% relapse remains to be addressed urgently. Here we constructed the BCMA-targeted fourth-generation CAR-T cells expressing IL-7 and CCL19 (i.e., BCMA-7 × 19 CAR-T cells), and demonstrated that BCMA-7 × 19 CAR-T cells exhibited superior expansion, differentiation, migration and cytotoxicity. Furthermore, we have been carrying out the first-in-human clinical trial for therapy of R/R MM by use of BCMA-7 × 19 CAR-T cells (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03778346), which preliminarily showed promising safety and efficacy in first two enrolled patients. The two patients achieved a CR and VGPR with Grade 1 cytokine release syndrome only 1 month after one dose of CAR-T cell infusion, and the responses lasted more than 12-month. Taken together, BCMA-7 × 19 CAR-T cells were safe and effective against refractory/relapsed multiple myeloma and thus warranted further clinical study.

Platinum-based chemotherapy is still be the standard treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Recently, studies demonstrate that some kinds of microRNAs (miRNAs) are associated with chemosensitivity of NSCLC cells to platinum-based treatment. Unfortunately, cancer cells usually change their expression profile of miRNAs to form drug resistance against chemotherapy. In the present study, we focused on miR-216b to investigate whether miR-216b determined sensitivity of NSCLC cells to cisplatin. We observed that expression level of miR-216b was significantly decreased in NSCLC cell lines when they were under the cisplatin treatment. However, restore of miR-216b by transfecting with its mimics was found to increase the cytotoxicity of cisplatin to NSCLC cells. Studies on mechanisms elucidated that miR-216b targeted c-Jun in NSCLC. Overexpression of miR-216b can suppress the cisplatin-induced upregulation of c-Jun. As the downstream, overexpression of Bcl-xl induced by c-Jun/ATF2 heterodimers was inhibited in miR-216b transfected NSCLC cells. Since Bcl-xl is a key anti-apoptotic protein, we found that sensitivity of NSCLC cells to cisplatin-induced apoptosis was significantly increased because of the overexpression of miR-216b.