start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=8 cd-vols= no-issue=1 article-no= start-page=1773 end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2025 dt-pub=20251216 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Single-cell and spatial transcriptomic characterization of pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma (PPC) is a rare subtype of lung cancer that comprises both epithelial and sarcomatoid components. The molecular basis of PPC, including the cellular dynamics of its components, remains largely unknown. To elucidate potential therapeutic targets for PPC, we perform a multi-omics analysis incorporating digital spatial profiling and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). PPC exhibits diverse driver gene alterations, including MET exon 14 skipping mutation (METex14) and ALK fusion. In spatial transcriptomics, MET gene and protein are overexpressed exclusively within the epithelial component and not in the sarcomatoid component, even in patients harboring METex14. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related transcriptional changes, along with extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling between the epithelial and sarcomatoid components, are observed. scRNA-seq identifies cell populations within the epithelial component that contribute to the malignant transformation and differentiation of the sarcomatoid component. They are characterized by an intermediate EMT state with ECM remodeling signature, suggesting their potential as novel therapeutic targets for PPC. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=MatsuokaAtsushi en-aut-sei=Matsuoka en-aut-mei=Atsushi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=ShienKazuhiko en-aut-sei=Shien en-aut-mei=Kazuhiko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=TomidaShuta en-aut-sei=Tomida en-aut-mei=Shuta kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=OhkiMasayoshi en-aut-sei=Ohki en-aut-mei=Masayoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=HisamatsuKazuya en-aut-sei=Hisamatsu en-aut-mei=Kazuya kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=FujiwaraRyota en-aut-sei=Fujiwara en-aut-mei=Ryota kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=IshimuraKosei en-aut-sei=Ishimura en-aut-mei=Kosei kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=FujiiRyunosuke en-aut-sei=Fujii en-aut-mei=Ryunosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=HigashiharaTomoaki en-aut-sei=Higashihara en-aut-mei=Tomoaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=HayashiNaohiro en-aut-sei=Hayashi en-aut-mei=Naohiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=OkadaKazuhiro en-aut-sei=Okada en-aut-mei=Kazuhiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= en-aut-name=YoshichikaRyo en-aut-sei=Yoshichika en-aut-mei=Ryo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=12 ORCID= en-aut-name=MukoharaFumiaki en-aut-sei=Mukohara en-aut-mei=Fumiaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=13 ORCID= en-aut-name=YoshikawaMao en-aut-sei=Yoshikawa en-aut-mei=Mao kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=14 ORCID= en-aut-name=FukumotoYuma en-aut-sei=Fukumoto en-aut-mei=Yuma kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=15 ORCID= en-aut-name=SuzawaKen en-aut-sei=Suzawa en-aut-mei=Ken kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=16 ORCID= en-aut-name=TomiokaYasuaki en-aut-sei=Tomioka en-aut-mei=Yasuaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=17 ORCID= en-aut-name=TanakaShin en-aut-sei=Tanaka en-aut-mei=Shin kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=18 ORCID= en-aut-name=MiyoshiKentaroh en-aut-sei=Miyoshi en-aut-mei=Kentaroh kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=19 ORCID= en-aut-name=OkazakiMikio en-aut-sei=Okazaki en-aut-mei=Mikio kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=20 ORCID= en-aut-name=SugimotoSeiichiro en-aut-sei=Sugimoto en-aut-mei=Seiichiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=21 ORCID= en-aut-name=OtaniYusuke en-aut-sei=Otani en-aut-mei=Yusuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=22 ORCID= en-aut-name=TanakaAtsushi en-aut-sei=Tanaka en-aut-mei=Atsushi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=23 ORCID= en-aut-name=InoueHirofumi en-aut-sei=Inoue en-aut-mei=Hirofumi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=24 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=25 ORCID= en-aut-name=YamamotoHidetaka en-aut-sei=Yamamoto en-aut-mei=Hidetaka kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=26 ORCID= en-aut-name=EnnishiDaisuke en-aut-sei=Ennishi en-aut-mei=Daisuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=27 ORCID= en-aut-name=ToyookaShinichi en-aut-sei=Toyooka en-aut-mei=Shinichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=28 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil= kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=11 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=12 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=13 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=14 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=15 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=16 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=17 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=18 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=19 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=20 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=21 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=22 en-affil=Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center kn-affil= affil-num=23 en-affil=Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center kn-affil= affil-num=24 en-affil=Center for Comprehensive Genomic Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=25 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=26 en-affil=Department of Pathology and Oncology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=27 en-affil=Center for Comprehensive Genomic Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=28 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=64 cd-vols= no-issue=23 article-no= start-page=3413 end-page=3418 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2025 dt-pub=20251201 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=A Prompt Diagnosis of Ascites and Dramatic Effect of Alectinib for Advanced Lung Adenocarcinoma Harboring EML4-ALK Fusion en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=A 75-year-old never-smoker woman presented with dyspnea and loss of appetite. A mass was identified in the left upper lobe of the lung, and the patient was referred to our hospital. Despite the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma via bronchoscopy, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) immunostaining was negative. Rapid weight gain and abdominal distension caused by ascites prompted fluid testing using the AmoyDx® Pan Lung Cancer PCR Panel. EML4-ALK fusion was confirmed, and alectinib therapy was initiated immediately. The tumor size had decreased significantly, and the patient was discharged on day 34. This case highlights the necessity of multiplex genetic testing even when ALK immunostaining is negative. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=BabaTakahiro en-aut-sei=Baba en-aut-mei=Takahiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=InoueHirofumi en-aut-sei=Inoue en-aut-mei=Hirofumi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=MatsuokaHiromi en-aut-sei=Matsuoka en-aut-mei=Hiromi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=KyakunoMio en-aut-sei=Kyakuno en-aut-mei=Mio kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=YoshinagaYusuke en-aut-sei=Yoshinaga en-aut-mei=Yusuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=TakeguchiTetsuya en-aut-sei=Takeguchi en-aut-mei=Tetsuya kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=FujiwaraMiho en-aut-sei=Fujiwara en-aut-mei=Miho kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=YamadaKotaro en-aut-sei=Yamada en-aut-mei=Kotaro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=NakamuraEri en-aut-sei=Nakamura en-aut-mei=Eri kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=MoritaAyako en-aut-sei=Morita en-aut-mei=Ayako kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=HaraNaofumi en-aut-sei=Hara en-aut-mei=Naofumi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= en-aut-name=NinomiyaKiichiro en-aut-sei=Ninomiya en-aut-mei=Kiichiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=12 ORCID= en-aut-name=HigoHisao en-aut-sei=Higo en-aut-mei=Hisao kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=13 ORCID= en-aut-name=FujiiMasanori en-aut-sei=Fujii en-aut-mei=Masanori kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=14 ORCID= en-aut-name=IchiharaEiki en-aut-sei=Ichihara en-aut-mei=Eiki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=15 ORCID= en-aut-name=RaiKammei en-aut-sei=Rai en-aut-mei=Kammei kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=16 ORCID= en-aut-name=OhashiKadoaki en-aut-sei=Ohashi en-aut-mei=Kadoaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=17 ORCID= en-aut-name=HottaKatsuyuki en-aut-sei=Hotta en-aut-mei=Katsuyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=18 ORCID= en-aut-name=TabataMasahiro en-aut-sei=Tabata en-aut-mei=Masahiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=19 ORCID= en-aut-name=MaedaYoshinobu en-aut-sei=Maeda en-aut-mei=Yoshinobu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=20 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=21 ORCID= en-aut-name=MakimotoGo en-aut-sei=Makimoto en-aut-mei=Go kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=22 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Department of Medical Support, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Department of Medical Support, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=11 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=12 en-affil=Center for Comprehensive Genomic Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=13 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=14 en-affil=Department of Geriatric Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=15 en-affil=Center for Clinical Oncology, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=16 en-affil=Center for Innovative Clinical Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=17 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=18 en-affil=Center for Innovative Clinical Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=19 en-affil=Center for Clinical Oncology, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=20 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology, and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=21 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=22 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= en-keyword=lung adenocarcinoma kn-keyword=lung adenocarcinoma en-keyword=EML4-ALK kn-keyword=EML4-ALK en-keyword=AmoyDxⓇ Pan Lung Cancer PCR Panel kn-keyword=AmoyDxⓇ Pan Lung Cancer PCR Panel en-keyword=alectinib kn-keyword=alectinib END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol= cd-vols= no-issue= article-no= start-page= end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2025 dt-pub=20251104 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Optogenetic Cancer Therapy Using the Light-Driven Outward Proton Pump Rhodopsin Archaerhodopsin-3 (AR3) en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Medicines used for cancer treatment often cause serious side effects by damaging normal cells due to nonspecific diffusion. To address this issue, we previously developed an optical method to induce apoptotic cell death via intracellular pH alkalinization using the outward proton pump rhodopsin, Archaerhodopsin-3 (AR3) in various noncancer model cells in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we applied this method to cancer cells and tumors to evaluate its potential as an anticancer therapeutic strategy. First, we confirmed that AR3-expressing murine cancer cell lines (MC38, B16F10) showed apoptotic cell death upon green light irradiation, as indicated by increased levels of cell death and apoptosis-related markers. Next, we established stable AR3-expressing MC38 and B16F10 cells by using viral vectors. When these AR3-expressing cells were subcutaneously transplanted into C57BL/6 mice, the resulting tumors initially grew at a rate comparable to that of control tumors lacking AR3 expression or light stimulation. However, upon green light irradiation, AR3-expressing tumors exhibited either a marked reduction in size or significantly suppressed growth, accompanied by the induction of apoptosis signals and decreased proliferation signals. These results demonstrate that AR3-mediated cell death has potent antitumor effects both in vitro and in vivo. This optical method thus holds promise as a novel cancer therapy with potentially reduced side effects. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=NakaoShin en-aut-sei=Nakao en-aut-mei=Shin kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=KojimaKeiichi en-aut-sei=Kojima en-aut-mei=Keiichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=SatoKeita en-aut-sei=Sato en-aut-mei=Keita kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=KemmotsuNaoya en-aut-sei=Kemmotsu en-aut-mei=Naoya kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=OhuchiHideyo en-aut-sei=Ohuchi en-aut-mei=Hideyo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=SudoYuki en-aut-sei=Sudo en-aut-mei=Yuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=638 cd-vols= no-issue=8049 article-no= start-page=225 end-page=236 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2025 dt-pub=20250122 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Immune evasion through mitochondrial transfer in the tumour microenvironment en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Cancer cells in the tumour microenvironment use various mechanisms to evade the immune system, particularly T cell attack1. For example, metabolic reprogramming in the tumour microenvironment and mitochondrial dysfunction in tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) impair antitumour immune responses2,3,4. However, detailed mechanisms of such processes remain unclear. Here we analyse clinical specimens and identify mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in TILs that are shared with cancer cells. Moreover, mitochondria with mtDNA mutations from cancer cells are able to transfer to TILs. Typically, mitochondria in TILs readily undergo mitophagy through reactive oxygen species. However, mitochondria transferred from cancer cells do not undergo mitophagy, which we find is due to mitophagy-inhibitory molecules. These molecules attach to mitochondria and together are transferred to TILs, which results in homoplasmic replacement. T cells that acquire mtDNA mutations from cancer cells exhibit metabolic abnormalities and senescence, with defects in effector functions and memory formation. This in turn leads to impaired antitumour immunity both in vitro and in vivo. Accordingly, the presence of an mtDNA mutation in tumour tissue is a poor prognostic factor for immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with melanoma or non-small-cell lung cancer. These findings reveal a previously unknown mechanism of cancer immune evasion through mitochondrial transfer and can contribute to the development of future cancer immunotherapies. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=IkedaHideki en-aut-sei=Ikeda en-aut-mei=Hideki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawaseKatsushige en-aut-sei=Kawase en-aut-mei=Katsushige kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=NishiTatsuya en-aut-sei=Nishi en-aut-mei=Tatsuya kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=WatanabeTomofumi en-aut-sei=Watanabe en-aut-mei=Tomofumi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=TakenagaKeizo en-aut-sei=Takenaga en-aut-mei=Keizo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=InozumeTakashi en-aut-sei=Inozume en-aut-mei=Takashi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=IshinoTakamasa en-aut-sei=Ishino en-aut-mei=Takamasa kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=AkiSho en-aut-sei=Aki en-aut-mei=Sho kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=LinJason en-aut-sei=Lin en-aut-mei=Jason kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawashimaShusuke en-aut-sei=Kawashima en-aut-mei=Shusuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=NagasakiJoji en-aut-sei=Nagasaki en-aut-mei=Joji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= en-aut-name=UedaYouki en-aut-sei=Ueda en-aut-mei=Youki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=12 ORCID= en-aut-name=SuzukiShinichiro en-aut-sei=Suzuki en-aut-mei=Shinichiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=13 ORCID= en-aut-name=MakinoshimaHideki en-aut-sei=Makinoshima en-aut-mei=Hideki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=14 ORCID= en-aut-name=ItamiMakiko en-aut-sei=Itami en-aut-mei=Makiko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=15 ORCID= en-aut-name=NakamuraYuki en-aut-sei=Nakamura en-aut-mei=Yuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=16 ORCID= en-aut-name=TatsumiYasutoshi en-aut-sei=Tatsumi en-aut-mei=Yasutoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=17 ORCID= en-aut-name=SuenagaYusuke en-aut-sei=Suenaga en-aut-mei=Yusuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=18 ORCID= en-aut-name=MorinagaTakao en-aut-sei=Morinaga en-aut-mei=Takao kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=19 ORCID= en-aut-name=Honobe-TabuchiAkiko en-aut-sei=Honobe-Tabuchi en-aut-mei=Akiko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=20 ORCID= en-aut-name=OhnumaTakehiro en-aut-sei=Ohnuma en-aut-mei=Takehiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=21 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawamuraTatsuyoshi en-aut-sei=Kawamura en-aut-mei=Tatsuyoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=22 ORCID= en-aut-name=UmedaYoshiyasu en-aut-sei=Umeda en-aut-mei=Yoshiyasu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=23 ORCID= en-aut-name=NakamuraYasuhiro en-aut-sei=Nakamura en-aut-mei=Yasuhiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=24 ORCID= en-aut-name=KiniwaYukiko en-aut-sei=Kiniwa en-aut-mei=Yukiko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=25 ORCID= en-aut-name=IchiharaEiki en-aut-sei=Ichihara en-aut-mei=Eiki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=26 ORCID= en-aut-name=HayashiHidetoshi en-aut-sei=Hayashi en-aut-mei=Hidetoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=27 ORCID= en-aut-name=IkedaJun-ichiro en-aut-sei=Ikeda en-aut-mei=Jun-ichiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=28 ORCID= en-aut-name=HanazawaToyoyuki en-aut-sei=Hanazawa en-aut-mei=Toyoyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=29 ORCID= en-aut-name=ToyookaShinichi en-aut-sei=Toyooka en-aut-mei=Shinichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=30 ORCID= en-aut-name=ManoHiroyuki en-aut-sei=Mano en-aut-mei=Hiroyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=31 ORCID= en-aut-name=SuzukiTakuji en-aut-sei=Suzuki en-aut-mei=Takuji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=32 ORCID= en-aut-name=OsawaTsuyoshi en-aut-sei=Osawa en-aut-mei=Tsuyoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=33 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawazuMasahito en-aut-sei=Kawazu en-aut-mei=Masahito kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=34 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=35 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Division of Innovative Cancer Therapeutics, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Division of Nutriomics and Oncology, RCAST, The University of Tokyo kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute, Chiba, Japan Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University kn-affil= affil-num=11 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=12 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=13 en-affil=Department of Medical Oncology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=14 en-affil=Tsuruoka Metabolomics Laboratory, National Cancer Center kn-affil= affil-num=15 en-affil=Department of Surgical Pathology, Chiba Cancer Center kn-affil= affil-num=16 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=17 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=18 en-affil=Laboratory of Evolutionary Oncology, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=19 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=20 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi kn-affil= affil-num=21 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi kn-affil= affil-num=22 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi kn-affil= affil-num=23 en-affil=Department of Skin Oncology/Dermatology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center kn-affil= affil-num=24 en-affil=Department of Skin Oncology/Dermatology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center kn-affil= affil-num=25 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, Shinshu University School of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=26 en-affil=Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=27 en-affil=Department of Medical Oncology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=28 en-affil=Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University kn-affil= affil-num=29 en-affil=Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=30 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Endocrinological Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=31 en-affil=Division of Cellular Signalling, National Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=32 en-affil=Department of Respirology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University kn-affil= affil-num=33 en-affil=Division of Nutriomics and Oncology, RCAST, The University of Tokyo kn-affil= affil-num=34 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=35 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=116 cd-vols= no-issue=5 article-no= start-page=1214 end-page=1226 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2025 dt-pub=20250227 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=High Antigenicity for Treg Cells Confers Resistance to PD-1 Blockade Therapy via High PD-1 Expression in Treg Cells en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Regulatory T (Treg) cells have an immunosuppressive function, and programmed death-1 (PD-1)-expressing Treg cells reportedly induce resistance to PD-1 blockade therapies through their reactivation. However, the effects of antigenicity on PD-1 expression in Treg cells and the resistance to PD-1 blockade therapy remain unclear. Here, we show that Treg cells gain high PD-1 expression through an antigen with high antigenicity. Additionally, tumors with high antigenicity for Treg cells were resistant to PD-1 blockade in vivo due to PD-1+ Treg-cell infiltration. Because such PD-1+ Treg cells have high cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen (CTLA)-4 expression, resistance could be overcome by combination with an anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody (mAb). Patients who responded to combination therapy with anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 mAbs sequentially after primary resistance to PD-1 blockade monotherapy showed high Treg cell infiltration. We propose that the high antigenicity of Treg cells confers resistance to PD-1 blockade therapy via high PD-1 expression in Treg cells, which can be overcome by combination therapy with an anti-CTLA-4 mAb. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=MatsuuraHiroaki en-aut-sei=Matsuura en-aut-mei=Hiroaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=IshinoTakamasa en-aut-sei=Ishino en-aut-mei=Takamasa kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=NinomiyaToshifumi en-aut-sei=Ninomiya en-aut-mei=Toshifumi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=NinomiyaKiichiro en-aut-sei=Ninomiya en-aut-mei=Kiichiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=TachibanaKota en-aut-sei=Tachibana en-aut-mei=Kota kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=Honobe-TabuchiAkiko en-aut-sei=Honobe-Tabuchi en-aut-mei=Akiko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=MutoYoshinori en-aut-sei=Muto en-aut-mei=Yoshinori kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=InozumeTakashi en-aut-sei=Inozume en-aut-mei=Takashi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=UedaYouki en-aut-sei=Ueda en-aut-mei=Youki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=OhashiKadoaki en-aut-sei=Ohashi en-aut-mei=Kadoaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=MaedaYoshinobu en-aut-sei=Maeda en-aut-mei=Yoshinobu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= en-aut-name=NagasakiJoji en-aut-sei=Nagasaki en-aut-mei=Joji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=12 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=13 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine,Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, University of Yamanashi kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, University of Yamanashi kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, University of Yamanashi kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine,Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=11 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine,Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=12 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=13 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University kn-affil= en-keyword=antigenicity kn-keyword=antigenicity en-keyword=cancer immunotherapy kn-keyword=cancer immunotherapy en-keyword=CTLA-4 kn-keyword=CTLA-4 en-keyword=PD-1 kn-keyword=PD-1 en-keyword=regulatory T cell kn-keyword=regulatory T cell END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=121 cd-vols= no-issue=35 article-no= start-page=e2320189121 end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2024 dt-pub=20240821 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Somatic mutations in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes impact on antitumor immunity en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) exert clinical efficacy against various types of cancers by reinvigorating exhausted CD8+ T cells that can expand and directly attack cancer cells (cancer-specific T cells) among tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Although some reports have identified somatic mutations in TILs, their effect on antitumor immunity remains unclear. In this study, we successfully established 18 cancer-specific T cell clones, which have an exhaustion phenotype, from the TILs of four patients with melanoma. We conducted whole-genome sequencing for these T cell clones and identified various somatic mutations in them with high clonality. Among the somatic mutations, an SH2D2A loss-of-function frameshift mutation and TNFAIP3 deletion could activate T cell effector functions in vitro. Furthermore, we generated CD8+ T cell–specific Tnfaip3 knockout mice and showed that Tnfaip3 function loss in CD8+ T cell increased antitumor immunity, leading to remarkable response to PD-1 blockade in vivo. In addition, we analyzed bulk CD3+ T cells from TILs in additional 12 patients and identified an SH2D2A mutation in one patient through amplicon sequencing. These findings suggest that somatic mutations in TILs can affect antitumor immunity and suggest unique biomarkers and therapeutic targets. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=MukoharaFumiaki en-aut-sei=Mukohara en-aut-mei=Fumiaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=IwataKazuma en-aut-sei=Iwata en-aut-mei=Kazuma kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=IshinoTakamasa en-aut-sei=Ishino en-aut-mei=Takamasa kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=InozumeTakashi en-aut-sei=Inozume en-aut-mei=Takashi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=NagasakiJoji en-aut-sei=Nagasaki en-aut-mei=Joji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=UedaYouki en-aut-sei=Ueda en-aut-mei=Youki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=SuzawaKen en-aut-sei=Suzawa en-aut-mei=Ken kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=UenoToshihide en-aut-sei=Ueno en-aut-mei=Toshihide kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=IkedaHideki en-aut-sei=Ikeda en-aut-mei=Hideki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawaseKatsushige en-aut-sei=Kawase en-aut-mei=Katsushige kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=SaekiYuka en-aut-sei=Saeki en-aut-mei=Yuka kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawashimaShusuke en-aut-sei=Kawashima en-aut-mei=Shusuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=12 ORCID= en-aut-name=YamashitaKazuo en-aut-sei=Yamashita en-aut-mei=Kazuo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=13 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawaharaYu en-aut-sei=Kawahara en-aut-mei=Yu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=14 ORCID= en-aut-name=NakamuraYasuhiro en-aut-sei=Nakamura en-aut-mei=Yasuhiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=15 ORCID= en-aut-name=Honobe-TabuchiAkiko en-aut-sei=Honobe-Tabuchi en-aut-mei=Akiko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=16 ORCID= en-aut-name=WatanabeHiroko en-aut-sei=Watanabe en-aut-mei=Hiroko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=17 ORCID= en-aut-name=DansakoHiromichi en-aut-sei=Dansako en-aut-mei=Hiromichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=18 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawamuraTatsuyoshi en-aut-sei=Kawamura en-aut-mei=Tatsuyoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=19 ORCID= en-aut-name=SuzukiYutaka en-aut-sei=Suzuki en-aut-mei=Yutaka kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=20 ORCID= en-aut-name=HondaHiroaki en-aut-sei=Honda en-aut-mei=Hiroaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=21 ORCID= en-aut-name=ManoHiroyuki en-aut-sei=Mano en-aut-mei=Hiroyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=22 ORCID= en-aut-name=ToyookaShinichi en-aut-sei=Toyooka en-aut-mei=Shinichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=23 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawazuMasahito en-aut-sei=Kawazu en-aut-mei=Masahito kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=24 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=25 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Division of Cellular Signaling, National Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=11 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=12 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=13 en-affil=KOTAI Biotechnologies, Inc. kn-affil= affil-num=14 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=15 en-affil=Department of Skin Oncology/Dermatology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center kn-affil= affil-num=16 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, University of Yamanashi kn-affil= affil-num=17 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=18 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=19 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, University of Yamanashi kn-affil= affil-num=20 en-affil=Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa kn-affil= affil-num=21 en-affil=Department of Pathology, Tokyo Women's Medical University kn-affil= affil-num=22 en-affil=Division of Cellular Signaling, National Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=23 en-affil=Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=24 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=25 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= en-keyword=cancer immunology kn-keyword=cancer immunology en-keyword=somatic mutation kn-keyword=somatic mutation en-keyword=T cell kn-keyword=T cell en-keyword=tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes kn-keyword=tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=115 cd-vols= no-issue=10 article-no= start-page=3231 end-page=3247 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2024 dt-pub=20240809 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Overcoming immunotherapy resistance and inducing abscopal effects with boron neutron immunotherapy (B-NIT) en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are effective against many advanced malignancies. However, many patients are nonresponders to immunotherapy, and overcoming this resistance to treatment is important. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a local chemoradiation therapy with the combination of boron drugs that accumulate selectively in cancer and the neutron irradiation of the cancer site. Here, we report the first boron neutron immunotherapy (B-NIT), combining BNCT and ICI immunotherapy, which was performed on a radioresistant and immunotherapy-resistant advanced-stage B16F10 melanoma mouse model. The BNCT group showed localized tumor suppression, but the anti-PD-1 antibody immunotherapy group did not show tumor suppression. Only the B-NIT group showed strong tumor growth inhibition at both BNCT-treated and shielded distant sites. Intratumoral CD8+ T-cell infiltration and serum high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) levels were higher in the B-NIT group. Analysis of CD8(+) T cells in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) showed that CD62L- CD44(+) effector memory T cells and CD69(+) early-activated T cells were predominantly increased in the B-NIT group. Administration of CD8-depleting mAb to the B-NIT group completely suppressed the augmented therapeutic effects. This indicated that B-NIT has a potent immune-induced abscopal effect, directly destroying tumors with BNCT, inducing antigen-spreading effects, and protecting normal tissue. B-NIT, immunotherapy combined with BNCT, is the first treatment to overcome immunotherapy resistance in malignant melanoma. In the future, as its therapeutic efficacy is demonstrated not only in melanoma but also in other immunotherapy-resistant malignancies, B-NIT can become a new treatment candidate for advanced-stage cancers. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=FujimotoTakuya en-aut-sei=Fujimoto en-aut-mei=Takuya kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=YamasakiOsamu en-aut-sei=Yamasaki en-aut-mei=Osamu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=KanehiraNoriyuki en-aut-sei=Kanehira en-aut-mei=Noriyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=MatsushitaHirokazu en-aut-sei=Matsushita en-aut-mei=Hirokazu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=SakuraiYoshinori en-aut-sei=Sakurai en-aut-mei=Yoshinori kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=KenmotsuNaoya en-aut-sei=Kenmotsu en-aut-mei=Naoya kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=MizutaRyo en-aut-sei=Mizuta en-aut-mei=Ryo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=KondoNatsuko en-aut-sei=Kondo en-aut-mei=Natsuko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=TakataTakushi en-aut-sei=Takata en-aut-mei=Takushi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=KitamatsuMizuki en-aut-sei=Kitamatsu en-aut-mei=Mizuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=IgawaKazuyo en-aut-sei=Igawa en-aut-mei=Kazuyo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= en-aut-name=FujimuraAtsushi en-aut-sei=Fujimura en-aut-mei=Atsushi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=12 ORCID= en-aut-name=OtaniYoshihiro en-aut-sei=Otani en-aut-mei=Yoshihiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=13 ORCID= en-aut-name=ShirakawaMakoto en-aut-sei=Shirakawa en-aut-mei=Makoto kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=14 ORCID= en-aut-name=ShigeyasuKunitoshi en-aut-sei=Shigeyasu en-aut-mei=Kunitoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=15 ORCID= en-aut-name=TeraishiFuminori en-aut-sei=Teraishi en-aut-mei=Fuminori kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=16 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=17 ORCID= en-aut-name=SuzukiMinoru en-aut-sei=Suzuki en-aut-mei=Minoru kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=18 ORCID= en-aut-name=FujiwaraToshiyoshi en-aut-sei=Fujiwara en-aut-mei=Toshiyoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=19 ORCID= en-aut-name=MichiueHiroyuki en-aut-sei=Michiue en-aut-mei=Hiroyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=20 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science, Kyoto University kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of Neurological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science, Kyoto University kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science, Kyoto University kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kindai University kn-affil= affil-num=11 en-affil=Neutron Therapy Research Center, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=12 en-affil=Neutron Therapy Research Center, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=13 en-affil=Department of Neurological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=14 en-affil=Neutron Therapy Research Center, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=15 en-affil=Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=16 en-affil=Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=17 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=18 en-affil=Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science, Kyoto University kn-affil= affil-num=19 en-affil=Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=20 en-affil=Neutron Therapy Research Center, Okayama University kn-affil= en-keyword=abscopal effect kn-keyword=abscopal effect en-keyword=advanced melanoma kn-keyword=advanced melanoma en-keyword=boron neutron capture therapy kn-keyword=boron neutron capture therapy en-keyword=boron-neutron immunotherapy kn-keyword=boron-neutron immunotherapy en-keyword=immune combination therapy kn-keyword=immune combination therapy END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=43 cd-vols= no-issue=2 article-no= start-page=113797 end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2024 dt-pub=20240227 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Stem-like progenitor and terminally differentiated TFH-like CD4+ T cell exhaustion in the tumor microenvironment en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Immune checkpoint inhibitors exert clinical efficacy against various types of cancer through reinvigoration of exhausted CD8+ T cells that attack cancer cells directly in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Using single-cell sequencing and mouse models, we show that CXCL13, highly expressed in tumor-infiltrating exhausted CD8+ T cells, induces CD4+ follicular helper T (TFH) cell infiltration, contributing to anti-tumor immunity. Furthermore, a part of the TFH cells in the TME exhibits cytotoxicity and directly attacks major histocompatibility complex-II-expressing tumors. TFH-like cytotoxic CD4+ T cells have high LAG-3/BLIMP1 and low TCF1 expression without self-renewal ability, whereas non-cytotoxic TFH cells express low LAG-3/BLIMP1 and high TCF1 with self-renewal ability, closely resembling the relationship between terminally differentiated and stem-like progenitor exhaustion in CD8+ T cells, respectively. Our findings provide deep insights into TFH-like CD4+ T cell exhaustion with helper progenitor and cytotoxic differentiated functions, mediating anti-tumor immunity orchestrally with CD8+ T cells. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=ZhouWenhao en-aut-sei=Zhou en-aut-mei=Wenhao kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawashimaShusuke en-aut-sei=Kawashima en-aut-mei=Shusuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=IshinoTakamasa en-aut-sei=Ishino en-aut-mei=Takamasa kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawaseKatsushige en-aut-sei=Kawase en-aut-mei=Katsushige kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=UedaYouki en-aut-sei=Ueda en-aut-mei=Youki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=YamashitaKazuo en-aut-sei=Yamashita en-aut-mei=Kazuo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=WatanabeTomofumi en-aut-sei=Watanabe en-aut-mei=Tomofumi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawazuMasahito en-aut-sei=Kawazu en-aut-mei=Masahito kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=DansakoHiromichi en-aut-sei=Dansako en-aut-mei=Hiromichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=SuzukiYutaka en-aut-sei=Suzuki en-aut-mei=Yutaka kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=NishikawaHiroyoshi en-aut-sei=Nishikawa en-aut-mei=Hiroyoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= en-aut-name=InozumeTakashi en-aut-sei=Inozume en-aut-mei=Takashi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=12 ORCID= en-aut-name=NagasakiJoji en-aut-sei=Nagasaki en-aut-mei=Joji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=13 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=14 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Chiba Cancer Center, Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=KOTAI Biotechnologies, Inc. kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Chiba Cancer Center, Research Institute, Division of Cell Therapy kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo kn-affil= affil-num=11 en-affil=Department of Immunology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=12 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=13 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=14 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= en-keyword=cancer immunology kn-keyword=cancer immunology en-keyword=follicular helper T cell kn-keyword=follicular helper T cell en-keyword=cytotoxic CD4+ T cell kn-keyword=cytotoxic CD4+ T cell en-keyword=CXCL13 kn-keyword=CXCL13 en-keyword=T cell exhaustion kn-keyword=T cell exhaustion en-keyword=stem-like progenitor exhaustion kn-keyword=stem-like progenitor exhaustion en-keyword=terminally differentiated exhaustion kn-keyword=terminally differentiated exhaustion en-keyword=PD-1 kn-keyword=PD-1 en-keyword=LAG-3 kn-keyword=LAG-3 en-keyword=TCF1 kn-keyword=TCF1 END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=4 cd-vols= no-issue=10 article-no= start-page=100573 end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2023 dt-pub=202310 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Immunologic Significance of CD80/CD86 or Major Histocompatibility Complex-II Expression in Thymic Epithelial Tumors en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Introduction: Unresectable or recurrent thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) have a poor prognosis, and treatment options are limited. This study aimed to investigate the immunologic significance of CD80/CD86 or major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) expression in TETs, as potential predictive biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).
Methods: We analyzed CD80, CD86, MHC class I (MHC-I), and MHC-II expression in TETs using immunohistochemistry and investigated their association with T-cell infiltration or ICI efficacy. In addition, we generated CD80- or MHC-II–expressing mouse tumors, evaluated the effects of ICIs, and analyzed tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. We also performed tumor-rechallenge experiments in vivo.
Results: We found that approximately 50% and 30% of TETs had high expression of CD80/CD86 and MHC-II in tumor cells, respectively, and that this expression was related to T-cell infiltration in clinical samples. In mouse models, both CD80 and MHC-II increase the effects of ICIs. In addition, senescent T cells and long-lived memory precursor effector T cells were significantly decreased and increased, respectively, in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from CD80-expressing tumors, and rechallenged tumors were completely rejected after the initial eradication of CD80-expressing tumors by programmed cell death protein 1 blockade. Indeed, patients with CD80-high thymic carcinoma had longer progression-free survival with anti–programmed cell death protein 1 monoclonal antibody.
Conclusions: Half of the TETs had high expression of CD80/CD86 or MHC-II with high T-cell infiltration. These molecules could potentially increase the effects of ICIs, particularly inducing a durable response. CD80/CD86 and MHC-II can be predictive biomarkers of ICIs in TETs, promoting the development of drugs for such TETs. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=IkedaHideki en-aut-sei=Ikeda en-aut-mei=Hideki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=NagasakiJoji en-aut-sei=Nagasaki en-aut-mei=Joji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=ShimizuDaiki en-aut-sei=Shimizu en-aut-mei=Daiki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=KatsuyaYuki en-aut-sei=Katsuya en-aut-mei=Yuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=HorinouchiHidehito en-aut-sei=Horinouchi en-aut-mei=Hidehito kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=HosomiYukio en-aut-sei=Hosomi en-aut-mei=Yukio kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=TanjiEtsuko en-aut-sei=Tanji en-aut-mei=Etsuko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=IwataTakekazu en-aut-sei=Iwata en-aut-mei=Takekazu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=ItamiMakiko en-aut-sei=Itami en-aut-mei=Makiko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawazuMasahito en-aut-sei=Kawazu en-aut-mei=Masahito kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=OheYuichiro en-aut-sei=Ohe en-aut-mei=Yuichiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= en-aut-name=SuzukiTakuji en-aut-sei=Suzuki en-aut-mei=Takuji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=12 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=13 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Chiba Cancer Center, Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Chiba Cancer Center, Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Division of Thoracic Surgery, Chiba Cancer Center kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Department of Experimental Therapeutics, National Cancer Center Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Department of Thoracic Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious Diseases Center Komagome Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Chiba Cancer Center, Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Division of Thoracic Surgery, Chiba Cancer Center kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Department of Surgical Pathology, Chiba Cancer Center kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Chiba Cancer Center, Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=11 en-affil=Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=12 en-affil=Department of Respirology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University kn-affil= affil-num=13 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= en-keyword=Thymic epithelial tumor kn-keyword=Thymic epithelial tumor en-keyword=Cancer immunotherapy kn-keyword=Cancer immunotherapy en-keyword=CD80/CD86 kn-keyword=CD80/CD86 en-keyword=MHC kn-keyword=MHC en-keyword=Memory precursor effector T cell kn-keyword=Memory precursor effector T cell END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=291 cd-vols= no-issue=6 article-no= start-page=1119 end-page=1130 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2023 dt-pub=20231020 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Hepatitis C virus NS5B triggers an MDA5-mediated innate immune response by producing dsRNA without the replication of viral genomes en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=During the replication of viral genomes, RNA viruses produce double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), through the activity of their RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRps) as viral replication intermediates. Recognition of viral dsRNA by host pattern recognition receptors – such as retinoic acid-induced gene-I (RIG-I)-like receptors and Toll-like receptor 3 – triggers the production of interferon (IFN)-β via the activation of IFN regulatory factor (IRF)-3. It has been proposed that, during the replication of viral genomes, each of RIG-I and melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) form homodimers for the efficient activation of a downstream signalling pathway in host cells. We previously reported that, in the non-neoplastic human hepatocyte line PH5CH8, the RdRp NS5B derived from hepatitis C virus (HCV) could induce IFN-β expression by its RdRp activity without the actual replication of viral genomes. However, the exact mechanism by which HCV NS5B produced IFN-β remained unknown. In the present study, we first showed that NS5B derived from another Flaviviridae family member, GB virus B (GBV-B), also possessed the ability to induce IFN-β in PH5CH8 cells. Similarly, HCV NS5B, but not its G317V mutant, which lacks RdRp activity, induced the dimerization of MDA5 and subsequently the activation of IRF-3. Interestingly, immunofluorescence analysis showed that HCV NS5B produced dsRNA. Like HCV NS5B, GBV-B NS5B also triggered the production of dsRNA and subsequently the dimerization of MDA5. Taken together, our results show that HCV NS5B triggers an MDA5-mediated innate immune response by producing dsRNA without the replication of viral genomes in human hepatocytes. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=DansakoHiromichi en-aut-sei=Dansako en-aut-mei=Hiromichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=IkedaMasanori en-aut-sei=Ikeda en-aut-mei=Masanori kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=AriumiYasuo en-aut-sei=Ariumi en-aut-mei=Yasuo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=KatoNobuyuki en-aut-sei=Kato en-aut-mei=Nobuyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Division of Biological Information Technology, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kagoshima University kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Management Department of Biosafety, Laboratory Animal, and Pathogen Bank, National Institute of Infectious Diseases kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= en-keyword=double-stranded RNA kn-keyword=double-stranded RNA en-keyword=hepatitis C virus kn-keyword=hepatitis C virus en-keyword=innate immunity kn-keyword=innate immunity en-keyword=RIG-I-like receptor kn-keyword=RIG-I-like receptor en-keyword=RNA virus kn-keyword=RNA virus END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=154 cd-vols= no-issue=1 article-no= start-page=169 end-page=179 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2023 dt-pub=20230823 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Low frequency of intracranial progression in advanced NSCLC patients treated with cancer immunotherapies en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Intracranial metastases are common in nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, whose prognosis is very poor. In addition, intracranial progression is common during systemic treatments due to the inability to penetrate central nervous system (CNS) barriers, whereas the intracranial effects of cancer immunotherapies remain unclear. We analyzed clinical data to evaluate the frequency of intracranial progression in advanced NSCLC patients treated with PD-1 blockade therapies compared with those treated without PD-1 blockade therapies, and found that the frequency of intracranial progression in advanced NSCLC patients treated with PD-1 blockade therapies was significantly lower than that in patients treated with cytotoxic chemotherapies. In murine models, intracranial rechallenged tumors after initial rejection by PD-1 blockade were suppressed. Accordingly, long-lived memory precursor effector T cells and antigen-specific T cells were increased by PD-1 blockade in intracranial lesions. However, intracranial rechallenged different tumors are not suppressed. Our results indicate that cancer immunotherapies can prevent intracranial progression, maintaining long-term effects intracranially as well as systemically. If intracranial recurrence occurs during the treatment with PD-1 blockade therapies, aggressive local therapies could be worthwhile. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=KemmotsuNaoya en-aut-sei=Kemmotsu en-aut-mei=Naoya kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=NinomiyaKiichiro en-aut-sei=Ninomiya en-aut-mei=Kiichiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=KunimasaKei en-aut-sei=Kunimasa en-aut-mei=Kei kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=IshinoTakamasa en-aut-sei=Ishino en-aut-mei=Takamasa kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=NagasakiJoji en-aut-sei=Nagasaki en-aut-mei=Joji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=OtaniYoshihiro en-aut-sei=Otani en-aut-mei=Yoshihiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=MichiueHiroyuki en-aut-sei=Michiue en-aut-mei=Hiroyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=IchiharaEiki en-aut-sei=Ichihara en-aut-mei=Eiki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=OhashiKadoaki en-aut-sei=Ohashi en-aut-mei=Kadoaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=InoueTakako en-aut-sei=Inoue en-aut-mei=Takako kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=TamiyaMotohiro en-aut-sei=Tamiya en-aut-mei=Motohiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= en-aut-name=SakaiKazuko en-aut-sei=Sakai en-aut-mei=Kazuko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=12 ORCID= en-aut-name=UedaYouki en-aut-sei=Ueda en-aut-mei=Youki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=13 ORCID= en-aut-name=DansakoHiromichi en-aut-sei=Dansako en-aut-mei=Hiromichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=14 ORCID= en-aut-name=NishioKazuto en-aut-sei=Nishio en-aut-mei=Kazuto kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=15 ORCID= en-aut-name=KiuraKatsuyuki en-aut-sei=Kiura en-aut-mei=Katsuyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=16 ORCID= en-aut-name=DateIsao en-aut-sei=Date en-aut-mei=Isao kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=17 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=18 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Department of Thoracic Oncology, Osaka International Cancer Institute kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Department of Neurological Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of Neurological Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Department of Thoracic Oncology, Osaka International Cancer Institute kn-affil= affil-num=11 en-affil=Department of Thoracic Oncology, Osaka International Cancer Institute kn-affil= affil-num=12 en-affil=Department of Genome Biology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=13 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=14 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=15 en-affil=Department of Genome Biology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=16 en-affil=Department of Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=17 en-affil=Department of Neurological Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=18 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= en-keyword=cancer immunotherapy kn-keyword=cancer immunotherapy en-keyword=intracranial metastasis kn-keyword=intracranial metastasis en-keyword=intracranial progression kn-keyword=intracranial progression en-keyword=memory precursor effector T cell kn-keyword=memory precursor effector T cell en-keyword=nonsmall-cell lung cancer kn-keyword=nonsmall-cell lung cancer END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=2 cd-vols= no-issue=7 article-no= start-page=739 end-page=753 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2022 dt-pub=20220728 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Mixed Response to Cancer Immunotherapy is Driven by Intratumor Heterogeneity and Differential Interlesion Immune Infiltration en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Some patients experience mixed response to immunotherapy, whose biological mechanisms and clinical impact have been obscure. We obtained two tumor samples from lymph node (LN) metastatic lesions in a same patient. Whole exome sequencing for the both tumors and single-cell sequencing for the both tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) demonstrated a significant difference in tumor clonality and TILs' characteristics, especially exhausted T-cell clonotypes, although a close relationship between the tumor cell and T-cell clones were observed as a response of an overlapped exhausted T-cell clone to an overlapped neoantigen. To mimic the clinical setting, we generated a mouse model of several clones from a same tumor cell line. Similarly, differential tumor clones harbored distinct TILs, and one responded to programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade but the other did not in this model. We further conducted cohort study (n = 503) treated with PD-1 blockade monotherapies to investigate the outcome of mixed response. Patients with mixed responses to PD-1 blockade had a poor prognosis in our cohort. Particularly, there were significant differences in both tumor and T-cell clones between the primary and LN lesions in a patient who experienced tumor response to anti-PD-1 mAb followed by disease progression in only LN metastasis. Our results underscore that intertumoral heterogeneity alters characteristics of TILs even in the same patient, leading to mixed response to immunotherapy and significant difference in the outcome.
Significance: Several patients experience mixed responses to immunotherapies, but the biological mechanisms and clinical significance remain unclear. Our results from clinical and mouse studies underscore that intertumoral heterogeneity alters characteristics of TILs even in the same patient, leading to mixed response to immunotherapy and significant difference in the outcome. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=MorinagaTakao en-aut-sei=Morinaga en-aut-mei=Takao kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=InozumeTakashi en-aut-sei=Inozume en-aut-mei=Takashi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawazuMasahito en-aut-sei=Kawazu en-aut-mei=Masahito kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=UedaYouki en-aut-sei=Ueda en-aut-mei=Youki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=SaxNicolas en-aut-sei=Sax en-aut-mei=Nicolas kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=YamashitaKazuo en-aut-sei=Yamashita en-aut-mei=Kazuo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawashimaShusuke en-aut-sei=Kawashima en-aut-mei=Shusuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=NagasakiJoji en-aut-sei=Nagasaki en-aut-mei=Joji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=UenoToshihide en-aut-sei=Ueno en-aut-mei=Toshihide kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=LinJason en-aut-sei=Lin en-aut-mei=Jason kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=OharaYuuki en-aut-sei=Ohara en-aut-mei=Yuuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= en-aut-name=KuwataTakeshi en-aut-sei=Kuwata en-aut-mei=Takeshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=12 ORCID= en-aut-name=YukamiHiroki en-aut-sei=Yukami en-aut-mei=Hiroki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=13 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawazoeAkihito en-aut-sei=Kawazoe en-aut-mei=Akihito kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=14 ORCID= en-aut-name=ShitaraKohei en-aut-sei=Shitara en-aut-mei=Kohei kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=15 ORCID= en-aut-name=Honobe-TabuchiAkiko en-aut-sei=Honobe-Tabuchi en-aut-mei=Akiko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=16 ORCID= en-aut-name=OhnumaTakehiro en-aut-sei=Ohnuma en-aut-mei=Takehiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=17 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawamuraTatsuyoshi en-aut-sei=Kawamura en-aut-mei=Tatsuyoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=18 ORCID= en-aut-name=UmedaYoshiyasu en-aut-sei=Umeda en-aut-mei=Yoshiyasu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=19 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawaharaYu en-aut-sei=Kawahara en-aut-mei=Yu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=20 ORCID= en-aut-name=NakamuraYasuhiro en-aut-sei=Nakamura en-aut-mei=Yasuhiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=21 ORCID= en-aut-name=KiniwaYukiko en-aut-sei=Kiniwa en-aut-mei=Yukiko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=22 ORCID= en-aut-name=MoritaAyako en-aut-sei=Morita en-aut-mei=Ayako kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=23 ORCID= en-aut-name=IchiharaEiki en-aut-sei=Ichihara en-aut-mei=Eiki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=24 ORCID= en-aut-name=KiuraKatsuyuki en-aut-sei=Kiura en-aut-mei=Katsuyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=25 ORCID= en-aut-name=EnokidaTomohiro en-aut-sei=Enokida en-aut-mei=Tomohiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=26 ORCID= en-aut-name=TaharaMakoto en-aut-sei=Tahara en-aut-mei=Makoto kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=27 ORCID= en-aut-name=HasegawaYoshinori en-aut-sei=Hasegawa en-aut-mei=Yoshinori kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=28 ORCID= en-aut-name=ManoHiroyuki en-aut-sei=Mano en-aut-mei=Hiroyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=29 ORCID= en-aut-name=SuzukiYutaka en-aut-sei=Suzuki en-aut-mei=Yutaka kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=30 ORCID= en-aut-name=NishikawaHiroyoshi en-aut-sei=Nishikawa en-aut-mei=Hiroyoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=31 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=32 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Chiba Cancer Center, Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Chiba Cancer Center, Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Chiba Cancer Center, Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=KOTAI Biotechnologies Inc kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=KOTAI Biotechnologies Inc kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Chiba Cancer Center, Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Division of Cellular Signaling, National Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Chiba Cancer Center, Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=11 en-affil=Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center Hospital East kn-affil= affil-num=12 en-affil=Department of Genetic Medicineand Services, National Cancer Center Hospital East kn-affil= affil-num=13 en-affil=Department of Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East kn-affil= affil-num=14 en-affil=Department of Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East kn-affil= affil-num=15 en-affil=Department of Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East kn-affil= affil-num=16 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, University of Yamanashi kn-affil= affil-num=17 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, University of Yamanashi kn-affil= affil-num=18 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, University of Yamanashi kn-affil= affil-num=19 en-affil=Department of Skin Oncology/Dermatology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center kn-affil= affil-num=20 en-affil=Department of Skin Oncology/Dermatology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center kn-affil= affil-num=21 en-affil=Department of Skin Oncology/Dermatology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center kn-affil= affil-num=22 en-affil=Department of Dermatology, Shinshu University School of Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=23 en-affil=Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=24 en-affil=Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=25 en-affil=Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=26 en-affil=Department of Head and Neck Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East kn-affil= affil-num=27 en-affil=Department of Head and Neck Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East kn-affil= affil-num=28 en-affil=Department of Applied Genomics, Kazusa DNA Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=29 en-affil=Division of Cellular Signaling, National Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=30 en-affil=Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo kn-affil= affil-num=31 en-affil=Division of Cancer Immunology, Research Institute/Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center (EPOC), National Cancer Center kn-affil= affil-num=32 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=11 cd-vols= no-issue=7 article-no= start-page=895 end-page=908 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2023 dt-pub=20230705 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=High Expression of MHC Class I Overcomes Cancer Immunotherapy Resistance Due to IFNγ Signaling Pathway Defects en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=IFNγ signaling pathway defects are well-known mechanisms of resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, conflicting data have been reported, and the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we have demonstrated that resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors owing to IFNγ signaling pathway defects may be primarily caused by reduced MHC-I expression rather than by the loss of inhibitory effects on cellular proliferation or decreased chemokine production. In particular, we found that chemokines that recruit effector T cells were mainly produced by immune cells rather than cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment of a mouse model, with defects in IFNγ signaling pathways. Furthermore, we found a response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in a patient with JAK-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma whose HLA-I expression level was maintained. In addition, CRISPR screening to identify molecules associated with elevated MHC-I expression independent of IFNγ signaling pathways demonstrated that guanine nucleotide-binding protein subunit gamma 4 (GNG4) maintained MHC-I expression via the NF-κB signaling pathway. Our results indicate that patients with IFNγ signaling pathway defects are not always resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitors and highlight the importance of MHC-I expression among the pathways and the possibility of NF-κB–targeted therapies to overcome such resistance. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=KawaseKatsushige en-aut-sei=Kawase en-aut-mei=Katsushige kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawashimaShusuke en-aut-sei=Kawashima en-aut-mei=Shusuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=NagasakiJoji en-aut-sei=Nagasaki en-aut-mei=Joji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=InozumeTakashi en-aut-sei=Inozume en-aut-mei=Takashi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=TanjiEtsuko en-aut-sei=Tanji en-aut-mei=Etsuko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawazuMasahito en-aut-sei=Kawazu en-aut-mei=Masahito kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=HanazawaToyoyuki en-aut-sei=Hanazawa en-aut-mei=Toyoyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=114 cd-vols= no-issue=10 article-no= start-page=3848 end-page=3856 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2023 dt-pub=20230723 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Combination therapy with hydrogen peroxide and irradiation promotes an abscopal effect in mouse models en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) induces oxidative stress and cytotoxicity, and can be used for treating cancers in combination with radiotherapy. A product comprising H2O2 and sodium hyaluronate has been developed as a radiosensitizer. However, the effects of H2O2 on antitumor immunity remain unclear. To investigate the effects of H2O2, especially the abscopal effect when combined with radiotherapy (RT), we implanted murine tumor cells simultaneously in two locations in mouse models: the hind limb and back. H2O2 mixed with sodium hyaluronate was injected intratumorally, followed by irradiation only at the hind limb lesion. No treatment was administered to the back lesion. The H2O2/RT combination significantly reduced tumor growth at the noninjected/nonirradiated site in the back lesion, whereas H2O2 or RT individually did not reduce tumor growth. Flow cytometric analyses of the tumor-draining lymph nodes in the injected/irradiated areas showed that the number of dendritic cells increased significantly with maturation in the H2O2/RT combination group. In addition, analyses of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes showed that the number of CD8+ (cluster of differentiation 8) T cells and the frequency of IFN-γ+ (interferon gamma) CD8+ T cells were higher in the noninjected/nonirradiated tumors in the H2O2/RT group compared to those in the other groups. PD-1 (programmed death receptor 1) blockade further increased the antitumor effect against noninjected/nonirradiated tumors in the H2O2/RT group. Intratumoral injection of H2O2 combined with RT therefore induces an abscopal effect by activating antitumor immunity, which can be further enhanced by PD-1 blockade. These findings promote the development of H2O2/RT therapy combined with cancer immunotherapies, even for advanced cancers. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=KemmotsuNaoya en-aut-sei=Kemmotsu en-aut-mei=Naoya kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=ZhuLi en-aut-sei=Zhu en-aut-mei=Li kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=NagasakiJoji en-aut-sei=Nagasaki en-aut-mei=Joji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=OtaniYoshihiro en-aut-sei=Otani en-aut-mei=Yoshihiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=UedaYouki en-aut-sei=Ueda en-aut-mei=Youki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=DansakoHiromichi en-aut-sei=Dansako en-aut-mei=Hiromichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=FangYue en-aut-sei=Fang en-aut-mei=Yue kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=DateIsao en-aut-sei=Date en-aut-mei=Isao kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Department of Neurological Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Department of Neurological Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= en-keyword=abscopal effect kn-keyword=abscopal effect en-keyword=dendritic cell kn-keyword=dendritic cell en-keyword=hydrogen peroxide kn-keyword=hydrogen peroxide en-keyword=radiosensitizer kn-keyword=radiosensitizer en-keyword=radiotherapy kn-keyword=radiotherapy en-keyword=tumor-draining lymph node kn-keyword=tumor-draining lymph node END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol= cd-vols= no-issue= article-no= start-page= end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2023 dt-pub=20230210 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Activated CTLA-4-independent immunosuppression of Treg cells disturbs CTLA-4 blockade-mediated antitumor immunity en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Combination therapy with anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) and anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has dramatically improved the prognosis of patients with multiple types of cancer, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, more than half of RCC patients fail to respond to this therapy. Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) are a subset of highly immunosuppressive CD4(+) T cells that promote the immune escape of tumors by suppressing effector T cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) through various mechanisms. CTLA-4 is constitutively expressed in Treg cells and is regarded as a key molecule for Treg-cell-mediated immunosuppressive functions, suppressing antigen-presenting cells by binding to CD80/CD86. Reducing Treg cells in the TME with an anti-CTLA-4 mAb with antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity is considered an essential mechanism to achieve tumor regression. In contrast, we demonstrated that CTLA-4 blockade without ADCC activity enhanced CD28 costimulatory signaling pathways in Treg cells and promoted Treg-cell proliferation in mouse models. CTLA-4 blockade also augmented CTLA-4-independent immunosuppressive functions, including cytokine production, leading to insufficient antitumor effects. Similar results were also observed in human peripheral blood lymphocytes and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from patients with RCC. Our findings highlight the importance of Treg-cell depletion to achieve tumor regression in response to CTLA-4 blockade therapies. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=WatanabeTomofumi en-aut-sei=Watanabe en-aut-mei=Tomofumi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=IshinoTakamasa en-aut-sei=Ishino en-aut-mei=Takamasa kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=UedaYouki en-aut-sei=Ueda en-aut-mei=Youki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=NagasakiJoji en-aut-sei=Nagasaki en-aut-mei=Joji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=SadahiraTakuya en-aut-sei=Sadahira en-aut-mei=Takuya kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=DansakoHiromichi en-aut-sei=Dansako en-aut-mei=Hiromichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=ArakiMotoo en-aut-sei=Araki en-aut-mei=Motoo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= en-keyword=antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity kn-keyword=antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity en-keyword=cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 kn-keyword=cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 en-keyword=immune checkpoint inhibitors kn-keyword=immune checkpoint inhibitors en-keyword=regulatory T cell kn-keyword=regulatory T cell en-keyword=renal cell carcinoma kn-keyword=renal cell carcinoma END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol= cd-vols= no-issue= article-no= start-page= end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2023 dt-pub=20230202 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Somatic mutations can induce a noninflamed tumour microenvironment via their original gene functions, despite deriving neoantigens en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Background
Identifying biomarkers to predict immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) efficacy is warranted. Considering that somatic mutation-derived neoantigens induce strong immune responses, patients with a high tumour mutational burden reportedly tend to respond to ICIs. However, there are several conflicting data. Therefore, we focused on the original function of neoantigenic mutations and their impact on the tumour microenvironment (TME).

Methods
We evaluated 88 high-frequency microsatellite instability (MSI-H) colorectal cancers and analysed the function of the identified neoantigenic mutations and their influence on programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) blockade efficacy. The results were validated using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets.

Results
We identified frameshift mutations in RNF43 as a common neoantigenic gene mutation in MSI-H tumours. However, loss-of-function RNF43 mutations induced noninflamed TME by activating the WNT/β-catenin signalling pathway. In addition, loss of RNF43 function induced resistance to PD-1 blockade even in neoantigen-rich tumours. TCGA dataset analyses demonstrated that passenger rather than driver gene mutations were related to the inflamed TME in diverse cancer types.

Conclusions
We propose a novel concept of “paradoxical neoantigenic mutations” that can induce noninflamed TME through their original gene functions, despite deriving neoantigens, suggesting the significance of qualities as well as quantities in neoantigenic mutations. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=IshinoTakamasa en-aut-sei=Ishino en-aut-mei=Takamasa kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawashimaShusuke en-aut-sei=Kawashima en-aut-mei=Shusuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=TanjiEtsuko en-aut-sei=Tanji en-aut-mei=Etsuko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=UenoToshihide en-aut-sei=Ueno en-aut-mei=Toshihide kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=UedaYouki en-aut-sei=Ueda en-aut-mei=Youki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=OgasawaraSadahisa en-aut-sei=Ogasawara en-aut-mei=Sadahisa kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=SatoKazuhito en-aut-sei=Sato en-aut-mei=Kazuhito kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=ManoHiroyuki en-aut-sei=Mano en-aut-mei=Hiroyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=IshiharaSoichiro en-aut-sei=Ishihara en-aut-mei=Soichiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=KatoNaoya en-aut-sei=Kato en-aut-mei=Naoya kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawazuMasahito en-aut-sei=Kawazu en-aut-mei=Masahito kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=12 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University, Graduate School of Medicine Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Division of Cellular Signaling, National Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University, Graduate School of Medicine Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of Surgical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Division of Cellular Signaling, National Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Department of Surgical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University kn-affil= affil-num=11 en-affil=Division of Cell Therapy, Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute kn-affil= affil-num=12 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University, Graduate School of Medicine Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=133 cd-vols= no-issue=3 article-no= start-page=151 end-page=157 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2021 dt-pub=20211201 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title=Cancer-immunotherapy biomarkers in the tumor microenvironment kn-title=腫瘍微小環境とがん免疫療法のバイオマーカー en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract= en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=TogashiYosuke en-aut-sei=Togashi en-aut-mei=Yosuke kn-aut-name=冨樫庸介 kn-aut-sei=冨樫 kn-aut-mei=庸介 aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of Tumor Microenvironment, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil=岡山大学学術研究院医歯薬学域　腫瘍微小環境学 en-keyword=tumor microenvironment kn-keyword=tumor microenvironment en-keyword=cancer immunology kn-keyword=cancer immunology en-keyword=tumor-infiltrating T cell kn-keyword=tumor-infiltrating T cell en-keyword=PD-1/PD-L1 kn-keyword=PD-1/PD-L1 END