Disulfiram/Copper induces immunogenic cell death via NPL4 in hepatocellular carcinoma
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ABSTRACT: Some chemotherapeutic agents have been found to enhance the antitumor immunity by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD). The combination of disulfiram (DSF) and copper (Cu) has demonstrated anti-tumor effects in a range of malignancies including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the potential of DSF/Cu as an ICD inducer and whether it could enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade in HCC remains unknown. Here, we showed that DSF/Cu-treated HCC cells exhibited characteristics of ICD in vitro, such as calreticulin (CRT) exposure, ATP secretion, high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) release. DSF/Cu treated HCC cells elicited significant immune memory in a vaccination assay. DSF/Cu treatment promoted dendritic cell activation and maturation. The combination of DSF/Cu and CD47 blockade further facilitated DC maturation and subsequently enhanced CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity. Mechanically, DSF/Cu promoted the nuclear accumulation and aggregation of nuclear protein localization protein 4 (NPL4) to inhibit the ubiquitin-proteasome system, thus induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Inhibition of NPL4 induced ICD-associated damage-associated molecular patterns. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that DSF/Cu induced ICD-mediated immune activation in HCC and enhanced the efficacy of CD47 blockade.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE211734 | GEO | 2022/10/19
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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