Checkpoint blockade enhances effector T cell function and has elicited long-term remission in a subset of patients with a broad spectrum of cancers. TIGIT is a checkpoint receptor thought to be involved in mediating T cell exhaustion in tumors; however, the relevance of TIGIT to the dysfunction of natural killer (NK) cells remains poorly understood. Here we found that TIGIT, but not the other checkpoint molecules CTLA-4 and PD-1, was associated with NK cell exhaustion in tumor-bearing mice and patients with colon cancer. Blockade of TIGIT prevented NK cell exhaustion and promoted NK cell-dependent tumor immunity in several tumor-bearing mouse models. Furthermore, blockade of TIGIT resulted in potent tumor-specific T cell immunity in an NK cell-dependent manner, enhanced therapy with antibody to the PD-1 ligand PD-L1 and sustained memory immunity in tumor re-challenge models. This work demonstrates that TIGIT constitutes a previously unappreciated checkpoint in NK cells and that targeting TIGIT alone or in combination with other checkpoint receptors is a promising anti-cancer therapeutic strategy.

The discrete variable representation (DVR) is used to calculate vibrational energy levels of H2O and SO2. The Hamiltonian is written in terms of bond length–bond angle coordinates and their conjugate momenta. It is shown that although these coordinates are not orthogonal and the appropriate kinetic energy operator is complicated, the discrete variable representation is quite simple and facilitates the calculation of vibrational energy levels. The DVR enables one to use an internal coordinate Hamiltonian without expanding the coordinate dependence of the kinetic energy or evaluating matrix elements numerically. The accuracy of previous internal coordinate calculations is assessed.

Metastasis is the most frequent cause of death in cancer patients. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the process in which cells lose epithelial integrity and become motile, a critical step for cancer cell invasion, drug resistance and immune evasion. The transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signaling pathway is a major driver of EMT. Increasing evidence demonstrates that metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer and extensive metabolic changes are observed during EMT. The aim of this review is to summarize and interconnect recent findings that illustrate how changes in glycolysis, mitochondrial, lipid and choline metabolism coincide and functionally contribute to TGFβ-induced EMT. We describe TGFβ signaling is involved in stimulating both glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration. Interestingly, the subsequent metabolic consequences for the redox state and lipid metabolism in cancer cells are found to be in favor of EMT as well. Combined we illustrate that a better understanding of the mechanistic links between TGFβ signaling, cancer metabolism and EMT holds promising strategies for cancer therapy, some of which are already actively being explored in the clinic.

In two-dimensional layered quantum materials, the interlayer stacking order determines both crystalline symmetry and quantum electronic properties such as Berry curvature, topology and electron correlation [1][2][3][4] . Electrical stimuli can strongly influence quasi-particle interactions and the free energy landscape 5,6 , thus making it possible to access hidden stacking orders with novel quantum properties and enabling dynamic engineering of these attributes. Here we demonstrate electrically driven stacking transitions and a new type of nonvolatile memory based on Berry

Vibrational intensities are calculated for the fundamental and overtone transitions of H2O up to approximately 18 000 cm−1. The intensities are determined from a dipole moment function expanded in the three internal bond coordinates. The expansion coefficients are computed ab initio at the second-order Mo/ller–Plesset level of theory with a 6-311G** basis set. Vibrational wave functions are calculated either from a three-dimensional harmonically coupled anharmonic oscillator (HCAO) model which uses Morse oscillators to represent both the stretches and the bend of H2O, or from a variational calculation employing the best available potential energy surface and an exact kinetic energy operator. To obtain the most meaningful vibrational intensities we define dipole moment components using the Eckart embedding. Both the HCAO and the variational intensities agree quite well with the experimental results, which span eight orders of magnitude. From the calculations we predict that it may be possible to detect as yet unobserved vibrational transitions of H2O.

Fenton-like reactions driven by manganese-based nanostructures have been widely applied in cancer treatment owing to the intrinsic physiochemical properties of these nanostructures and their improved sensitivity to the tumor microenvironment. In this work, Zn x Mn 1−x S@polydopamine composites incorporating alloyed Zn x Mn 1−x S and polydopamine (PDA) were constructed, in which the Fenton-like reactions driven by Mn ions can be tuned by a controllable release of Mn ions in vitro and in vivo. As a result, the Zn x Mn 1−x S@PDA exhibited good biocompatibility with normal cells but was specifically toxic to cancer cells. In addition, the shell thickness of PDA was carefully investigated to obtain excellent specific toxicity to cancer cells and promote synergistic chemodynamic and photothermal therapies. Overall, this work highlights an alternative strategy for fabricating high-performance, multifunctional composite nanostructures for a combined cancer treatment.

No abstract

Expressed by cancer stem cells of various epithelial cell origins and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), CD133 is an attractive therapeutic target for HCC. The marker CD133 is highly expressed in endothelial progenitor cells (EPC). EPCs circulate in increased numbers in the peripheral blood of patients with highly vascularized HCC and contribute to angiogenesis and neovascularization. This phase II study investigated CD133-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T (CART-133) cells in adults with HCC. Patients with histologically confirmed and measurable advanced HCC and adequate hematologic, hepatic, and renal functions received CART-133 cell infusions. The primary endpoints were safety in phase I and progressionfree survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in phase II. Other endpoints included biomarkers for CART-133 T cell therapy. Between June 1, 2015, and September 1, 2017, this study enrolled 21 patients who subsequently received CART-133 T cells across phases I and II. The median OS was 12 months (95% CI, 9.3-15.3 months) and the median PFS was 6.8 months (95% CI, 4.3-8.4 months). Of 21 evaluable patients, 1 had a partial response, 14 had stable disease for 2 to 16.3 months, and 6 progressed after T-cell infusion. The most common high-grade adverse event was hyperbilirubinemia. Outcome was correlated with the baseline levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), soluble VEGF receptor 2 (sVEGFR2), stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1, and EPC counts. Changes in EPC counts, VEGF, SDF-1, sVEGFR2, and interferon (IFN)-γ after cell infusion were associated with survival. In patients with previously treated advanced HCC, CART-133 cell therapy demonstrates promising antitumor activity and a manageable safety profile. We identified early changes in circulating molecules as potential biomarkers of response to CART-133 cells. The predictive value of these proangiogenic and inflammatory factors as potential biomarkers of CART-133 cell therapy in HCC will be explored in prospective trials. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02541370)