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Nanog signaling in cancer promotes stem-like phenotype and immune evasion.

ABSTRACT: Adaptation of tumor cells to the host is a major cause of cancer progression, failure of therapy, and ultimately death. Immune selection drives this adaptation in human cancer by enriching tumor cells with a cancer stem cell-like (CSC-like) phenotype that makes them resistant to CTL-mediated apoptosis; however, the mechanisms that mediate CSC maintenance and proliferation are largely unknown. Here, we report that CTL-mediated immune selection drives the evolution of tumor cells toward a CSC-like phenotype and that the CSC-like phenotype arises through the Akt signaling pathway via transcriptional induction of Tcl1a by Nanog. Furthermore, we found that hyperactivation of the Nanog/Tcl1a/Akt signaling axis was conserved across multiple types of human cancer. Inhibition of Nanog in a murine model of colon cancer rendered tumor cells susceptible to immune-mediated clearance and led to successful, long-term control of the disease. Our findings establish a firm link among immune selection, disease progression, and the development of a stem-like tumor phenotype in human cancer and implicate the Nanog/Tcl1a/Akt pathway as a central molecular target in this process.

SUBMITTER: Noh KH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3484451 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Nanog signaling in cancer promotes stem-like phenotype and immune evasion.

Noh Kyung Hee KH Kim Bo Wook BW Song Kwon-Ho KH Cho Hanbyoul H Lee Young-Ho YH Kim Jin Hee JH Chung Joon-Yong JY Kim Jae-Hoon JH Hewitt Stephen M SM Seong Seung-Yong SY Mao Chih-Ping CP Wu T-C TC Kim Tae Woo TW

The Journal of clinical investigation 20121024 11

Adaptation of tumor cells to the host is a major cause of cancer progression, failure of therapy, and ultimately death. Immune selection drives this adaptation in human cancer by enriching tumor cells with a cancer stem cell-like (CSC-like) phenotype that makes them resistant to CTL-mediated apoptosis; however, the mechanisms that mediate CSC maintenance and proliferation are largely unknown. Here, we report that CTL-mediated immune selection drives the evolution of tumor cells toward a CSC-like ...[more]

PMID: 23093782

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Project description:Immune selection drives tumor cells to acquire refractory phenotypes. We previously demonstrated that cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated immune pressure enriches NANOG+ tumor cells with stem-like and immune-refractory properties that make them resistant to CTLs. Here, we report that the emergence of refractory phenotypes is highly associated with an aberrant macroautophagic/autophagic state of the NANOG+ tumor cells and that the autophagic phenotype arises through transcriptional induction of MAP1LC3B/LC3B by NANOG. Furthermore, we found that upregulation of LC3B expression contributes to an increase in EGF secretion. The subsequent hyperactivation of EGFR-AKT signaling rendered NANOG+ tumor cells resistant to CTL killing. The NANOG-LC3B-p-EGFR axis was preserved across various types of human cancer and correlated negatively with the overall survival of cervical cancer patients. Inhibition of LC3B in immune-refractory tumor models rendered tumors susceptible to adoptive T-cell transfer, as well as PDCD1/PD-1 blockade, and led to successful, long-term control of the disease. Thus, our findings demonstrate a novel link among immune-resistance, stem-like phenotypes, and LC3B-mediated autophagic secretion in immune-refractory tumor cells, and implicate the LC3B-p-EGFR axis as a central molecular target for controlling NANOG+ immune-refractory cancer.Abbreviations: ACTB: actin beta; ATG7: autophagy related 7; BafA1: bafilomycin A1; CASP3: caspase 3; CFSE: carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester; ChIP: chromatin immunoprecipitation; CI: confidence interval; CIN: cervical intraepithelial neoplasia; CSC: cancer stem cell; CTL: cytotoxic T lymphocyte; EGF: epidermal growth factor; EGFR: epidermal growth factor receptor; FIGO: International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics; GFP: green fluorescent protein; GZMB: granzyme B; HG-CIN: high-grade CIN; IHC: immunohistochemistry; LG-CIN: low-grade CIN; LN: lymph node; MAP1LC3B/LC3B: microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta; MCL1: myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1; MLANA/MART-1: melanoma antigen recognized by T cells 1; MUT: mutant; NANOG: Nanog homeobox; PDCD1/PD-1: programmed cell death 1; PMEL/gp100: premelanosome protein; RTK: receptor tyrosine kinase; TMA: tissue microarray; WT: wild type.

Project description:The cell wall provides a major physical interface between fungal pathogens and their mammalian host. This extracellular armor is critical for fungal cell homeostasis and survival. Fungus-specific cell wall moieties, such as β-1,3-glucan, are recognized as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) that activate immune-mediated clearance mechanisms. We have reported that the opportunistic human fungal pathogen Candida albicans masks β-1,3-glucan following exposure to lactate, hypoxia, or iron depletion. However, the precise mechanism(s) by which C. albicans masks β-1,3-glucan has remained obscure. Here, we identify a secreted exoglucanase, Xog1, that is induced in response to lactate or hypoxia. Xog1 functions downstream of the lactate-induced β-glucan "masking" pathway to promote β-1,3-glucan "shaving." Inactivation of XOG1 blocks most but not all β-1,3-glucan masking in response to lactate, suggesting that other activities contribute to this phenomenon. Nevertheless, XOG1 deletion attenuates the lactate-induced reductions in phagocytosis and cytokine stimulation normally observed for wild-type cells. We also demonstrate that the pharmacological inhibition of exoglucanases undermines β-glucan shaving, enhances the immune visibility of the fungus, and attenuates its virulence. Our study establishes a new mechanism underlying environmentally induced PAMP remodeling that can be manipulated pharmacologically to influence immune recognition and infection outcomes.IMPORTANCE The immune system plays a critical role in protecting us against potentially fatal fungal infections. However, some fungal pathogens have evolved evasion strategies that reduce the efficacy of our immune defenses. Previously, we reported that the fungal pathogen Candida albicans exploits specific host-derived signals (such as lactate and hypoxia) to trigger an immune evasion strategy that involves reducing the exposure of β-glucan at its cell surface. Here, we show that this phenomenon is mediated by the induction of a major secreted exoglucanase (Xog1) by the fungus in response to these host signals. Inactivating XOG1-mediated "shaving" of cell surface-exposed β-glucan enhances immune responses against the fungus. Furthermore, inhibiting exoglucanase activity pharmacologically attenuates C. albicans virulence. In addition to revealing the mechanism underlying a key immune evasion strategy in a major fungal pathogen of humans, our work highlights the potential therapeutic value of drugs that block fungal immune evasion.

Dataset Information

Nanog signaling in cancer promotes stem-like phenotype and immune evasion.

Publications

Nanog signaling in cancer promotes stem-like phenotype and immune evasion.

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