Natural inhibitors of angiogenesis are able to block pathological neovascularization without harming the preexisting vasculature. Here we show that two such inhibitors, thrombospondin-1 and pigment epithelium-derived factor, derive specificity for remodeling vessels from their dependence on Fas/Fas ligand (FasL)-mediated apoptosis to block angiogenesis. Both inhibitors upregulated FasL on endothelial cells. Expression of the essential partner of FasL, Fas/CD95 receptor, was low on quiescent endothelial cells and vessels but greatly enhanced by inducers of angiogenesis, thereby specifically sensitizing the stimulated cells to apoptosis by inhibitor-generated FasL. The anti-angiogenic activity of thrombospondin-1 and pigment epithelium-derived factor both in vitro and in vivo was dependent on this dual induction of Fas and FasL and the resulting apoptosis. This example of cooperation between pro- and anti-angiogenic factors in the inhibition of angiogenesis provides one explanation for the ability of inhibitors to select remodeling capillaries for destruction.

Aberrant blood vessel growth in the retina that underlies the pathology of proliferative diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity is the result of the ischemia-driven disruption of the normally antiangiogenic environment of the retina. In this study, we show that a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis found naturally in the normal eye, pigment epithelium-derived growth factor (PEDF), inhibits such aberrant blood vessel growth in a murine model of ischemia-induced retinopathy. Inhibition was proportional to dose and systemic delivery of recombinant protein at daily doses as low as 2.2 mg͞kg could prevent aberrant endothelial cells from crossing the inner limiting membrane. PEDF appeared to inhibit angiogenesis by causing apoptosis of activated endothelial cells, because it induced apoptosis in cultured endothelial cells and an 8-fold increase in apoptotic endothelial cells could be detected in situ when the ischemic retinas of PEDF-treated animals were compared with vehicle-treated controls. The ability of low doses of PEDF to curtail aberrant growth of ocular endothelial cells without overt harm to retinal morphology suggests that this natural protein may be beneficial in the treatment of a variety of retinal vasculopathies.

Carefully selected music that incorporates a patient's own preferences may offer an inexpensive and effective method to reduce anxiety for antepartal women with high risk pregnancies who are on bedrest.

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The tumor immune microenvironment is influenced by the epigenetic landscape of the tumor. Here, we have identified the SETDB1–TRIM28 complex as a critical suppressor of antitumor immunity. An epigenetic CRISPR–Cas9 screen of 1,218 chromatin regulators identified TRIM28 as a suppressor of PD-L1 expression. We then revealed that expression of the SETDB1–TRIM28 complex negatively correlated with infiltration of effector CD8+ T cells. Inhibition of SETDB1–TRIM28 simultaneously upregulated PD-L1 and activated the cyclic GMP–AMP synthase (cGAS)–stimulator of interferon genes (STING) innate immune response pathway to increase infiltration of CD8+ T cells. Mechanistically, SETDB1–TRIM28 inhibition led to micronuclei formation in the cytoplasm, which is known to activate the cGAS–STING pathway. Thus, SETDB1–TRIM28 inhibition bridges innate and adaptive immunity. Indeed, SETDB1 knockout enhanced the antitumor effects of immune checkpoint blockade with anti–PD-L1 in a mouse model of ovarian cancer in a cGAS-dependent manner. Our findings establish the SETDB1–TRIM28 complex as a regulator of antitumor immunity and demonstrate that its loss activates cGAS–STING innate immunity to boost the antitumor effects of immune checkpoint blockade.

CARM1 is often overexpressed in human cancers including in ovarian cancer. However, therapeutic approaches based on CARM1 expression remain to be an unmet need. Cancer cells exploit adaptive responses such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response for their survival through activating pathways such as the IRE1α/XBP1s pathway. Here, we report that CARM1-expressing ovarian cancer cells are selectively sensitive to inhibition of the IRE1α/XBP1s pathway. CARM1 regulates XBP1s target gene expression and directly interacts with XBP1s during ER stress response. Inhibition of the IRE1α/XBP1s pathway was effective against ovarian cancer in a CARM1-dependent manner both in vitro and in vivo in orthotopic and patient-derived xenograft models. In addition, IRE1α inhibitor B-I09 synergizes with immune checkpoint blockade anti-PD1 antibody in an immunocompetent CARM1-expressing ovarian cancer model. Our data show that pharmacological inhibition of the IRE1α/XBP1s pathway alone or in combination with immune checkpoint blockade represents a therapeutic strategy for CARM1-expressing cancers.

No abstract

Background Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is a disease with atypical symptoms, an unfavorable response to therapy, and a poor outcome. Abnormal guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs) play an important role in the host’s defense against viral infection and may be related to carcinogenesis. In this study, we sought to determine the relationship between GBP2 expression and phenotype in patients with PAAD and explored the possible underlying biological mechanism. Method We analyzed the expression of GBP2 in PAAD tissues using a multiple gene expression database and a cohort of 42 PAAD patients. We evaluated GBP2’s prognostic value using Kaplan–Meier analysis and the Cox regression model. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis, co-expression analysis, and GSEA were performed to illustrate the possible underlying biological mechanism. CIBERSORT and the relative expression of immune checkpoints were used to estimate the relationship between GBP2 expression and tumor immunology. Result GBP2 was remarkably overexpressed in PAAD tissue. The overexpression of GBP2 was correlated with an advanced T stage and poor overall survival (OS) and GBP2 expression was an independent risk factor for OS in PAAD patients. Functional analysis demonstrated that positively co-expressed genes of GBP2 were closely associated with pathways in cancer and the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway. Most of the characteristic immune checkpoints, including PDCD1, PDCDL1, CTLA4, CD80, TIGIT, LAG3, IDO2, and VISTA, were significantly expressed in the high-GBP2 expression group compared with the low-GBP2 expression group. Conclusion GBP2 acted as a potential prognostic biomarker and was associated with immune infiltration and the expression of immune checkpoints in PAAD.