Project description:Dr. Christopher Contag lab's aim is to, investigate the molecular interactions that underlie CIK cell homing from the bloodstream to tumor tissue using a combination of gene expression profiling, flow cytometry, and in vivo molecular imaging. Collectively, these proposed experiments will define the repertoire of molecules employed in CIK cell recognition of the tumor vasculature and guide the development of improved CIK cell therapies for use in cancer patients. A promising new direction in cancer therapy is the use of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells as broadly active tumoricidal agents. CIK cells derive from blood samples stimulated ex vivo, and these activated immune cells are capable of recognizing and destroying a plethora of tumor targets in vivo. In fact, CIK cells have demonstrated efficacy in clinical trials to treat patients with hepatoma, renal cell cancer, and hematological malignancies. Despite the remarkable clinical promise of this therapy, little is known about the mechanisms that govern CIK cell migration to tumor tissue in vivo. Understanding the trafficking patterns of these potent immune cells is of critical importance to advancing their use in humans. I aim to investigate the molecular interactions that underlie CIK cell homing from the bloodstream to tumor tissue using a combination of gene expression profiling, flow cytometry, and in vivo molecular imaging. Collectively, these proposed experiments will define the repertoire of molecules employed in CIK cell recognition of the tumor vasculature and guide the development of improved CIK cell therapies for use in cancer patients. RNA from three groups (1,2,3) were sent to Microarray Core E. Group one samples: Splenocytes were obtained from BALB/c mice, and the T cells were isolated using a negative isolation kit (magnetic bead separation). For group 2 and 3 samples: The isolated splenocytes were treated with IFN-gamma overnight. The cells were then added to anti-CD3 coated flasks and stimulated with IL-2. Fresh IL-2 was added to the media every 3 days, and the cells were harvested 12 days post-isolation. The RNA was labeled and hybridized to Glyco_v3 arrays.

Project description:Cytokine Induced Killer (CIK) cells are heterogeneous ex vivo expanded T lymphocytes with mixed T-NK phenotype and endowed with a wide MHC-unrestricted antitumor activity against both solid and hematologic malignancies. CIK cells can be easily ex vivo expanded up to clinical relevant rates from circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), according to a standard protocol involving timed stimulation with IFN- γ (day 0), Ab-antiCD3 OKT3 (day 1) and IL-2 (from day 1 to the end). Nowadays literature provides scanty information on cytokines, chemokines and growth factors secreted by CIK cells. A comprehensive molecular profiling of CIK cells is needed to complete the knowledge of their biologic and functional features. In this perspective we performed a gene expression profile analysis of basal PBMC and ex vivo expanded CIK cells generated from 3 patients with histologic confirmed Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST). The principal component analysis (PCA) shows that the CIK cell samples clustered together and were clearly separated from PBMC ones. First, we checked the mRNA expression levels of secreted proteins and we found a significant upregulation of GM-CSF, IL-5, IL-13, and IFN-γ in CIK cells. Moreover, IL-1Ra, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-15, IL-8, Eotaxin and MCP-1 are downregulated in CIK cells if compared to PBMC. Noteworthy, among differentially expressed genes (DEGs) we identified other secreted molecules that are upregulated in patient-derived CIK cells, which can contribute to their tumor killing activity: GZMA, GZMB, GZMK, PRF1, IL-32, and LTA. Furthermore, to better characterize the CIK cell phenotype, we studied the surface antigen expression. As expected, we found the downregulation of several myeloid differentiation markers (CD14, CD9, CD93, CSF2RA, CSF2RB, EPB41L3, Receptors for Fc fragments of immunoglobulins, ITGAX, MCEMP1, and TREM1) and B-cell antigens (CD19, CD24, CD79A, CXCR5, and MS4A1). Moreover, microarray data confirmed the upregulation in CIK cells of well-known surface antigens, like CD3D, CD3G, IL2Ra, IL2RG, CD226/DNAM1, ITGAL/LFA-1, KLRK1/NKG2D, NCR3/NKp30, and TRAIL/TNFSF10. Next, in order to identify differentially expressed pathways during CIK cells maturation, we performed a functional analysis by using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software. Among inactivated functions in CIK cells, we found chemotaxis of myeloid cells, phagocytosis, migration of granulocytes and engulfment of leukocytes. Noteworthy, functional gene categories as proliferation of cells, cell death of lymphocytes, cell death of mononuclear leukocytes, apoptosis of B lymphocytes, and quantity of CD4+ T-lymphocytes resulted activated, in agreement with the selection and expansion of CIK cell precursors induced by in vitro treatment of PBMC. Finally, IPA analysis predicted as activated categories cytotoxicity of lymphocytes, cytotoxicity of cells, and cytotoxicity of natural killer cells. In particular, genes involved in cytotoxic mechanism of CIK cells like NCR3/NKp30, KLRK1/NKG2D, TRAIL/TNFSF10, CD226/DNAM1, CD244, CD69, CD96, GZMA, GZMB, PRF1 are differentially expressed. With this work we highlighted previously unknown secretory properties and provided for the first time a comprehensive molecular characterization of CIK cells, opening the possibility to operate on secretory level to improve CIK cell cytotoxic activity against tumors.

Project description:Various cancers such as colorectal cancer (CRC) are associated with alterations in protein glycosylation. CRC cell lines are frequently used to study these (glyco)biological changes and their mechanisms. However, differences between CRC cell lines with regard to their glycosylation have hitherto been largely neglected. Here, we comprehensively characterized the N-glycan profiles of 25 different CRC cell lines, derived from primary tumors and metastatic sites, in order to investigate their potential as glycobiological tumor model systems and to reveal glycans associated with cell line phenotypes. We applied an optimized, high-throughput membrane-based enzymatic glycan release for small sample amounts. Released glycans were derivatized to stabilize and differentiate between a2,3- and a2,6-linked N-acetylneuraminic acids, followed by N-glycosylation analysis by MALDI-TOF(/TOF)-MS. Our results showed pronounced differences between the N-glycosylation patterns of CRC cell lines. CRC cell line profiles differed from tissue-derived N-glycan profiles with regard to their high-mannose N-glycan content but showed a large overlap for complex type N-glycans, supporting their use as a glycobiological cancer model system. Importantly, we could show that the high-mannose N-glycans did not only occur as intracellular precursors but were also present at the cell surface. The obtained CRC cell line N-glycan features were not clearly correlated with mRNA expression levels of glycosyltransferases, demonstrating the usefulness of performing the structural analysis of glycans. Finally, correlation of CRC cell line glycosylation features with cancer cell markers and phenotypes revealed an association between highly fucosylated glycans and CDX1 and/or villin mRNA expression that both correlate with cell differentiation. Together, our findings provide new insights into CRC-associated glycan changes and setting the basis for more in-depth experiments on glycan function and regulation.

Project description:Purpose: Core 3 derived glycans, a major type of O-glycan expressed by normal epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal tract, are downregulated during malignancy, because of loss of expression of functional β3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-6 (core 3 synthase). We investigated the expression of core 3 synthase in normal pancreas and pancreatic cancer and evaluated the biological effects of re-expressing core 3 synthase in pancreatic cancer cells that had lost expression. Experimental Design: We determined that pancreatic tumors and tumor cell lines have lost expression of core 3 synthase. We therefore re-expressed in human pancreatic cancer cells (Capan-2 and FG) to investigate the contribution of core 3 glycans to malignant progression. Results: Pancreatic cancer cells expressing core 3 synthase showed reduced in vitro cell proliferation, migration and invasion compared with vector control cells. Expression of core 3 O-glycans induced altered expression of β1 integrin, decreased activation of focal adhesion kinase, led to the down regulation of expression of several genes including REG1α and FGFR3, and altered lamellipodia formation. The addition of a GlcNAc residue by core 3 synthase leads to the extension of the tumor associated Tn structure on MUC1. Orthotopic injection of FG cells expressing core 3 synthase into the pancreas of nude mice produced significantly smaller tumors and decreased metastasis to the surrounding tissues compared to vector control FG cells. Conclusions: These findings indicate that expression of core 3 derived O-glycans in pancreatic cancer cells suppresses tumor growth and metastasis through modulation of glycosylation of mucins and other cell surface and extracellular matrix proteins. Two-condition experiment, Core 3 synthase stable expression (C3) vs. vector control (PLVX) cells. Biological replicates: 3 Core 3 synthase stable expression, 3 vector control, independently grown and harvested. One replicate per array.

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