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BackgroundChemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 13 (CXCL13) was known as a selective chemotaxis for B cells, a product of follicular helper CD4+T cells (TFH) and a contributor to tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS). Although secretion and function of CXCL13 produced by TFH have been deeply explored, the immune function and prognostic significance of CXCL13 secreted by CD8+T cells still remain unrevealed. This study aims to investigate the clinical merit of CXCL13+CD8+T cells in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).MethodsWe analyzed prognostic value and immune contexture that associated with CXCL13+CD8+T cells infiltration level in a total of 755 patients from Zhongshan Hospital cohort (n=223) and The Cancer Genome Atlas cohort (n=532). In vitro analyses were conducted on 42 samples of resected tumor tissue from Zhongshan Hospital in order to detect the immune status of CXCL13+CD8+T cells and total CD8+T cells. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and flow cytometry were applied to characterize immune cells and portray the tumor microenvironment (TME) in ccRCC.ResultsIntratumoral CXCL13+CD8+T cells abundance was associated with inferior overall survival and disease-free survival. CXCL13+CD8+T cells possessed higher level of immune checkpoints like programmed cell-death protein 1 (PD-1), T-cell immunoglobulin mucin 3 (Tim-3), T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), higher Ki-67 expression and lower tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interferon γ (IFN-γ) expression. Total CD8+T cells in high-level CXCL13+CD8+T cells infiltration subgroup exhibited elevated exhausted markers (PD-1, Tim-3, TIGIT) and descended activated markers (TNF-α, IFN-γ) without quantity variance. Furthermore, the abundance of intratumoral CXCL13+CD8+T cell was correlated with immunoevasive TME accompanied by increased T helper 2 cells, tumor-associated macrophages, Foxp3+ regulatory T cells, TLS and decreased natural killer cells, GZMB+ cells.ConclusionsIntratumoral CXCL13+CD8+T cells infiltration indicated inferior clinical outcome in patients with ccRCC. CXCL13+CD8+T cells possessed increased exhausted markers, decreased effector molecules and better proliferation ability. CXCL13+CD8+T cells abundance impaired total CD8+T cells’ immune function. Intratumoral CXCL13+CD8+T cells abundance was associated with immunoevasive contexture. The abundance of CXCL13+CD8+T cells was an independent prognosticator and a potential immunotherapeutic target marker for ccRCC treatment.

Epidemiological and experimental studies have revealed strong associations between dietary lipids and cancer risk. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of dietary fatty acids on the genesis and progression of cancer have been poorly explored. In this study, we found that a high olive oil diet stimulated cervical cancer (CC) carcinogenesis, and oleic acid (OA), the main lipid in olive oil, was associated with increased malignancy in HeLa cells. OA up-regulated the expression of CD36, which is the best characterized fatty acid transporter. Inhibiting CD36 prevented the tumor-promoting effects of OA, while overexpressing CD36 mimicked the effects of OA. Clinically, CD36 expression was positively correlated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in patients with CC. Furthermore, OA induced Src kinase and downstream ERK1/2 pathway activation in a CD36-dependent manner. Pretreatment of HeLa cells with an Src kinase inhibitor largely blocked the tumor-promoting effect of OA. Our findings suggest that dietary OA exerts a stimulatory effect on CC growth and metastasis, and CD36 might be a promising therapeutic target that acts against CC through an Src/ERK-dependent signaling pathway.

BackgroundT-cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT) is identified as a novel checkpoint receptor that can facilitate immune escape via mediating T-cell exhaustion in tumors. However, the clinical significance and immune contexture correlation of intratumoral TIGIT+ CD8+ T-cells remain to be further explored in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).Methods259 patients with MIBC from two clinical centers (Zhongshan Hospital, n=141; Shanghai Cancer Center, n=118) were analyzed to evaluate the prognostic value and immune contexture association of TIGIT+ CD8+ T-cells through immunohistochemistry. Fresh tumor tissue samples from 26 patients with MIBC were examined to discover the phenotype of this CD8 subpopulation by flow cytometry.ResultsHigh infiltration of intratumoral TIGIT+ CD8+ T-cells predicted poor overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in MIBC. For patients with stage II MIBC with low infiltration of TIGIT+ CD8+ cells, adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) could significantly prolong their OS and RFS. Intratumoral TIGIT+ CD8+ T-cell abundance was correlated with impaired CD8+ T-cell cytotoxicity and exhibited production of immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10. Further analysis of tumor-infiltrating immune cell landscape revealed TIGIT+ CD8+ T-cells were associated with suppressive immune contexture, including Th2 cells, regulatory T-cells, mast cells and neutrophils.ConclusionIntratumoral TIGIT+ CD8+ T-cell abundance could serve as an independent prognosticator for clinical outcome and a predictive biomarker for inferior ACT responsiveness. Intratumoral TIGIT+ CD8+ T-cell abundance correlated with dampened CD8+ T-cell antitumor immunity and immunosuppressive contexture abundance, highlighting a tumor-promoting role of TIGIT+ CD8+ T-cells.

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Metabolic reprogramming is a new hallmark of cancer but it remains poorly defined in hepatocellular carcinogenesis (HCC). The fatty acid receptor CD36 is associated with both lipid and glucose metabolism in the liver. However, the role of CD36 in metabolic reprogramming in the progression of HCC still remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we found that CD36 is highly expressed in human HCC as compared with non-tumor hepatic tissue. CD36 overexpression promoted the proliferation, migration, invasion, and in vivo tumor growth of HCC cells, whereas silencing CD36 had the opposite effects. By analysis of cell metabolic phenotype, CD36 expression showed a positive association with extracellular acidification rate, a measure of glycolysis, instead of oxygen consumption rate. Further experiments verified that overexpression of CD36 resulted in increased glycolysis flux and lactic acid production. Mechanistically, CD36 induced mTOR-mediated oncogenic glycolysis via activation of Src/PI3K/AKT signaling axis. Pretreatment of HCC cells with PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors largely blocked the tumor-promoting effect of CD36. Our findings suggest that CD36 exerts a stimulatory effect on HCC growth and metastasis, through mediating aerobic glycolysis by the Src/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) play an indispensable role in the modulation of the cancer immune microenvironment. Despite the fact that TAMs may exert both antitumor and protumor activities, the molecular mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. Here, we characterized a subpopulation of TAMs expressing dendritic cell-specific C-type lectin (DC-SIGN) and investigated its relevance to the prognosis and immune microenvironment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). DC-SIGN þ TAMs were abundant in a significant proportion of human MIBC specimens. High levels of DC-SIGN þ TAMs were associated with dismal prognosis and unresponsiveness to adjuvant chemotherapy in MIBC. Notably, multiple anti-inflammatory cytokines were enriched in DC-SIGN þ TAMs. RNA-seq analysis revealed that multiple M2-like signal-ing pathways were significantly upregulated in DC-SIGN þ TAMs. High infiltration of DC-SIGN þ TAMs was associated with CD8 þ T-cell tolerance in MIBC. Moreover, abrogating DC-SIGN function using a neutralizing antibody led to impaired expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines and augmented PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab-mediated cytotoxic effects of CD8 þ T cells toward MIBC cells. In summary, these results suggest that DC-SIGN þ TAM infiltration is closely linked to a protumor immune microenvironment and may serve as a promising therapeutic target in the immunotherapy of MIBC.Significance: DC-SIGN þ TAMs have an immunosuppressive and tumor-promoting function and may serve as a prognostic indicator and therapeutic target in MIBC.

Objective We aim to explore the effect of adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) on a knee osteoarthritis rat model and analyze how ADMSCs affect chondrocyte apoptosis. Materials and Methods A surgically induced rat knee osteoarthritis (OA) model was constructed. ADMSCs were engrafted into the right knee cavity. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Masson, and Safranin O were used to compare the histopathology of synovial membrane and cartilage. Immunohistochemical (IHC) was used to measure MMP‐13, Collagen 2 (Col‐2), Caspase‐3 (Cas‐3), PARP, p62, LC3b, DDR‐2, FGFR‐1, Wnt, P‐AKT/AKT, p‐CAMKII/CAMKII, and p‐Smad1/Smad1 expression in the articular cartilage. qPCR and Western blot analysis were used to detect mRNA and protein levels of markers in chondrocytes. TUNEL and Annexin‐V were used to assess apoptosis. Results Histological analysis showed that ADMSCs alleviated the deterioration of cartilage and osteoarthritis. ADMSCs coculture increase the expression of Col2 and Sox‐9, while down regulated MMP‐13 in IL‐1β stimulated chondrocytes. ADMSCs decreased proinflammatory cytokines IL‐1β, IL‐6, and TNF‐α. ADMSCs enhanced the viability of IL‐1β stimulated chondrocytes. ADMSC attenuated chondrocyte apoptosis. The pretreatment of 3‐methyladenine (3‐MA) reversed the reduction of Caspase‐3 caused by ADMSCs, showing that the antiapoptotic effect was associated with autophagy inducing. ADMSCs significantly reduced the expression of FGFR‐1, DDR‐2, and Wnt in IL‐1β stimulated chondrocytes. ADMSCs reduced the ratio of p‐Smad1/Smad1 and p‐CAMK II/CAMKII, and increased the ratio of p‐AKT/AKT. Conclusions ADMSCs treatment alleviate osteoarthritis in rat OA models. AMDSCs reduced the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and protected against apoptosis through autophagy inducing. ADMSCs’ function could be related to multiple signaling pathway.