OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of herbal cake separated moxibustion on macrophage effector molecule T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-4 (Tim-4) and ubiquitination of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) in rabbits with immunosuppression, and to explore the possible mechanism on herbal cake separated moxibustion in improving immunosuppression. METHODS: Thirty-two big-ear white rabbits were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a moxa stick moxibustion group and a herbal cake separated moxibustion group, 8 rabbits in each group. Except the normal group, the immunosuppression model was established by intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide of60 mg/kg in the other 3 groups. "Shenque" (CV 8), "Shenshu" (BL 23), "Zusanli" (ST 36), etc. were selected in both the moxa stick moxibustion group and the herbal cake separated moxibustion group. Moxa stick moxibustion was applied in the moxa stick moxibustion group, one cone at each acupoint; herbal cake separated moxibustion was applied in the herbal cake separated moxibustion group, 5 cones at each acupoint. The intervention was given once every other day for 10 times in both groups. Leukocyte content in peripheral blood was detected by blood cell analyzer; the positive expression of PD-1 in CD⁺₄ T lymphocytes, CD⁺₈T lymphocytes and CD⁺₆₈ macrophages in peripheral blood was measured by flow cytometry, the serum levels of interleukin 2 (IL-2), CD₈, CD₆₈ and Tim-4 were detected by ELISA, and the expression of Tim-4 and F-box only protein 38 (FBXO38) in the liver and spleen tissues was measured by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Compared with the normal group, in the model group, white blood cell count (WBC) and percentage of neutrophils (NEU%) were decreased while percentage of lymphocyte (LYM%) was increased (P<0.01) in peripheral blood; the positive expression rates of PD-1 in CD⁺₄ T lymphocytes, CD⁺₈T lymphocytes and CD⁺₆₈ macrophages in peripheral blood were increased (P<0.01); the serum levels of IL-2, CD₆₈ and Tim-4 were increased (P<0.01), the serum level of CD₈ was decreased (P<0.01); the average optical density (AOD) of Tim-4 in the liver tissue and FBXO38 in the liver and spleen tissues was increased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, in the moxa stick moxibustion group and the herbal cake separated moxibustion group, WBC and NEU% were increased (P<0.01); the positive expression rates of PD-1 in CD⁺₄ T lymphocytes, CD⁺₈T lymphocytes and CD⁺₆₈ macrophages in peripheral blood were decreased (P<0.01); the serum levels of IL-2, CD₆₈ and Tim-4 were decreased (P<0.01), the serum levels of CD₈ were increased (P<0.01); the AOD of Tim-4 and FBXO38 in the liver tissue and FBXO38 in the spleen tissue was decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05). Compared with the moxa stick moxibustion group, in the herbal cake separated moxibustion group, the positive expression rate of PD-1 in CD⁺₆₈ macrophages in peripheral blood was increased (P<0.05); serum level of Tim-4 was increased (P<0.01); AOD of Tim-4 in the liver tissue was decreased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Herbal cake separated moxibustion can improve immunosuppression by regulating the expression of macrophage effector molecule Tim-4 and the FBXO38 mediated ubiquitination of PD-1, Tim-4 may be one of the specific indexes of immunomodulation involving with herbal cake separated moxibustion.
Animals ; Rabbits ; Interleukin-2/genetics* ; Moxibustion ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/genetics* ; Immunosuppression Therapy ; Ubiquitination

Objective To explore the potential biological functions and prognostic prediction values of non-apoptotic regulated cell death genes (NARCDs) in lung adenocarcinoma.Methods Transcriptome data of lung adenocarcinoma were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. We identified differentially expressed NARCDs between lung adenocarcinoma tissues and normal tissues with R software. NARCDs signature was constructed with univariate Cox regression analysis and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression. The prognostic predictive capacity of NARCDs signature was assessed by Kaplan-Meier survival curve, receiver operating characteristic curve, and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Functional enrichment of NARCDs signature was analyzed with gene set variation analysis, Gene Ontology, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. In addition, differences in tumor mutational burden, tumor microenvironment, tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion score, and chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity were analyzed between the high and low NARCDs score groups. Finally, a protein-protein interaction network of NARCDs and immune-related genes was constructed by STRING and Cytoscape software. Results We identified 34 differentially expressed NARCDs associated with the prognosis, of which 16 genes (ATIC, AURKA, CA9, ITGB4, DDIT4, CDK5R1, CAV1, RRM2, GAPDH, SRXN1, NLRC4, GLS2, ADRB2, CX3CL1, GDF15, and ADRA1A) were selected to construct a NARCDs signature. NARCDs signature was identified as an independent prognostic factor (P < 0.001). Functional analysis showed that there were significant differences in mismatch repair, p53 signaling pathway, and cell cycle between the high NARCDs score group and low NARCDs score group (all P < 0.05). The NARCDs low score group had lower tumor mutational burden, higher immune score, higher tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion score, and lower drug sensitivity (all P < 0.05). In addition, the 10 hub genes (CXCL5, TLR4, JUN, IL6, CCL2, CXCL2, ILA, IFNG, IL33, and GAPDH) in protein-protein interaction network of NARCDs and immune-related genes were all immune-related genes. Conclusion The NARCDs prognostic signature based on the above 16 genes is an independent prognostic factor, which can effectively predict the clinical prognosis of patients of lung adenocarcinoma and provide help for clinical treatment.
Humans ; Prognosis ; Apoptosis ; Regulated Cell Death ; Adenocarcinoma of Lung/genetics* ; Lung Neoplasms/genetics* ; Tumor Microenvironment

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC), which accounts for about 15% of lung cancer cases, is an aggressive disease characterized by rapid growth and early widespread metastasis. Despite sensitive to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, SCLC is vulnerable to get resistant and has high recurrence rates. In recent years, immunotherapy has shown good antitumor activity, especially programmed death receptor-1/ligand-L1 (PD-1/L1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) Checkpoint inhibitors have changed the pattern of tumor treatment, and SCLC has high immunogenicity, high mutation load and other favorable immune factors, so immuno-checkpoint inhibitors may become an important breakthrough in SCLC treatment. This article will briefly review the clinical research of immunotherapy for small cell lung cancer.
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Humans ; Immunologic Factors ; genetics ; immunology ; Immunotherapy ; methods ; trends ; Lung Neoplasms ; genetics ; immunology ; therapy ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor ; genetics ; immunology ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma ; genetics ; immunology ; therapy

Objective: To observe the changes of PD-1 expression, mRNA level and cytotoxic activity of CD19 CAR-T cells during the culture process of CAR-T cells. Methods: The peripheral blood T cells of 6 lymphoma patients with high expression of PD-1 and 6 healthy volunteers were the source of CAR-T cells. The expression of PD-1 was analyzed by flow cytometry. The mRNA level of PD-1 was analyzed by PCR. The cell proliferation was analyzed by CCK-8 assay. The cytotoxicity was analyzed by LDH assay. Results: ①The transfection efficiency of high PD-1 expression T cells and healthy volunteer T cells were as the same (P>0.05) . ②The cell proliferation capacity of CD19 CAR-T cells from high PD-1 expression T cells or healthy volunteer T cells, with or without PD-1 inhibitor were as the same (P>0.05) . ③The cytotoxicity to lymphoma cells of high PD-1 expression T cells and CAR-T cells were lower than that of these two T cells combined with PD-1 inhibitor and the CAR-T cells from healthy volunteer T cells (P<0.001) . There was no difference of the cytotoxicity between the CAR-T cells from high PD-1 expression T cells combined with PD-1 inhibitor and the CAR-T cells from healthy volunteer (P>0.05) . ④There was no difference of the expression of PD-1 in all CAR-T cell groups during the culture process (P>0.05) . There was no difference of mRNA level of PD-1 in all groups during the culture process (P>0.05) . ⑤The PD-1 expression of CAR-T cells increased by the time of culture after contacting with lymphoma cells (P<0.001) . The PD-1 inhibitors could antagonize this effect. There was no difference of mRNA level of PD-1 in all groups after contacting with lymphoma cells (P>0.05) . Conclusion: The PD-1 expression of CAR-T cells from high PD-1 expression T cells increased by the time of culture after contacting with lymphoma cells. However, the mRNA level of PD-1 of all groups did not change, even if PD-1 inhibitor was applied.
Antigens, CD19 ; Humans ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/genetics* ; RNA, Messenger ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; T-Lymphocytes

Conventional methods of selecting gene transfected cells by toxic agents may yield ambiguous results. It is difficult to determine whether cell death is due to selection agents or gene transfection, owing to the substantial overlap of the time-courses for both effects. Therefore, to determine transfection-induced cell toxicity, the mammalian expression vector pEGFP-N1 (CLONTECH Lab., Palo Alto, CA, USA) has been modified to the dual-cassette expression vectors named pEGFP-Ks by the relocation of its EGFP expression cassette. We have precisely monitored the cells transfected with this vector on our custom culture dishes, thereby bypassing the need for selection agent or fluorescent cell sorting. This is a useful method to screen genes encoding potential toxic or useful proteins without performing undesirable selection agent and also can be used to monitor the transfected cells for various purposes, either the inhibition or proliferation of mammalian cells for applications in biotechnology.
Cell Culture/methods ; Cell Death ; Genes, Reporter ; *Genetic Vectors ; Human ; Indicators and Reagents ; Luminescent Proteins/*genetics/metabolism ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Telomerase/genetics/metabolism ; Transfection/*methods

By inserting microRNAs into the intron of EF1α promoter, we constructed a novel lentiviral vector knocking down PD-1 gene via microRNA and applied it to CAR-T cells. Lentiviral transduction efficiency and PD-1-silencing efficiency were detected by flow cytometry. PD-1 expression was detected by Western blotting. Relative expression of microRNA was measured by Q-PCR. Cytotoxicity of CAR-T cells based on this vector was tested by luciferase bioluminescence and flow cytometry. Compared with lentiviral vector with microRNA transcribed by U6 promotor, the transduction efficiency of lentiviral vector with microRNA which was inserted into the intron of EF1α promoter was more significant, and the knockdown rate of PD-1 was more than 90%, which was validated by flow cytometry and Western blotting. And the relative expression level of microRNA in Jurkat cells transduced with this novel lentiviral vector was shown by Q-PCR. Compared with normal CAR-T cells, CAR-T cells based on this vector showed stronger cytotoxicity against PD-L1 positive Raji cells. We successfully constructed a novel lentiviral vector that knocked down PD-1 via microRNA and verified the superiority of its transduction efficiency and knockdown efficiency of PD-1. CAR-T cells based on this vector can exert a more powerful cytotoxicity, thus providing theoretical support for the subsequent treatment of PD-L1 positive tumors.
Cell Line, Tumor ; Gene Knockdown Techniques ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Humans ; Lentivirus ; genetics ; MicroRNAs ; metabolism ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; genetics

BACKGROUNDAutoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic inflammatory liver disease with unknown etiology. Programmed death 1 (PD-1) and its ligands (PD-L1 and PD-L2), B7-H1/PD-L1 and B7-DC/PD-L2, are new CD28-B7 family members that are involved in the regulation of immune responses. Previous observation suggests that PD-1 system plays an inhibitory role in regulating peripheral blood T cells, B cells and myeloid cells, thus their abnormality may be related to autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to explore the role of PD-1/PD-L1, L2 system in the pathogenesis of AIH.

METHODSThe mice model of experimental autoimmune hepatitis (EAH) was established in C57BL/6 mice and the expression levels of PD-1 and PD-L1, L2 in the murine liver and the cytokines, including interferon (IFN)-gamma, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-4 in the spleen were detected using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the results were compared with those of normal controls.

RESULTSThe expression levels of PD-1, PD-L1, PD-L2 mRNA were higher in EAH compared with normal controls (P < 0.05), the PD-L2/PD-1 ratio was relatively lower in EAH (EAH -0.08 +/- 0.35, normal controls 0.52 +/- 0.07, P = 0.009). In the EAH, the expression of the three cytokines were all upregulated compared with normal controls. PD-L1 had a positive correlation with the expression of IFN-gamma (r = 0.289, P < 0.05), while PD-L2 showed a positive correlation with both expressions of IL-4 (r = 0.378, P< 0.01) and IFN-gamma (r = 0.261, P < 0.05). While TNF-alpha showed no correlation with PD-L1 (r = 0.044, P = 0.736) or PD-L2 (r = 0.127, P = 0.335).

CONCLUSIONSThe expression of PD-1/PD-L1, L2 is upregulated in EAH and regulated by IFN-gamma and IL-4. PD-1 system may play an important role in the pathogenesis of AIH.

Animals ; Antigens, Surface ; genetics ; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins ; genetics ; B7-1 Antigen ; genetics ; B7-H1 Antigen ; Hepatitis, Autoimmune ; genetics ; Interferon-gamma ; genetics ; Interleukin-4 ; genetics ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; genetics ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Peptides ; genetics ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Ligand 2 Protein ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; genetics

OBJECTIVE: To observe the demethylation effect of demethylation inhibitor 5-azacytidine (5-Zac) on programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) in Molt-4 cells (T lymphocyte cell line) and to investigate the relationship between DNA demethylation and expression of PD-1. METHODS: Molt-4 cells were cultured in the medium containing different concentrations of 5-Zac(0, 5, 10 μmol/L) for 72 h. According to the concentrations of 5-Zac, the Molt-4 cells were divided into a 0 μmol/L 5-Zac group, a 5 μmol/L 5-Zac group, and a 10 μmol/L 5-Zac group. The expression of PD-1 in Molt-4 cells was detected by flow cytometry and the apoptosis rate was calculated. The mRNA transcription level of PD-1 was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction; Molt-4 cell DNA in all groups were treated by sodium bisulfite. The PD-1 promoter fragment was amplified by PCR, the amplification fragments were transformed into E. coli., the positive clones were selected for equencing, and the methylation status of the fragments of PD-1 promoter was examined. RESULTS Seventy-two hours after the 5-Zac treatment, the expression rate of PD-1 in the Molt-4 cells in the 0 μmol/L 5-Zac group, the 5 μmol/L 5-Zac group, and the 10 μmol/L 5-Zac group was (1.13 ± 0.01)%, (18.96 ± 1.87)%, and (63.09 ± 6.25)% respectively, in a low concentration-dependent way. The PD-1 mRNA expression level was increased significantly with the 5-Zac treatment. Cells apoptosis showed that:compared with the 0 μmol/L 5-Zac group, the apoptosid rate in the 5 μmol/L 5-Zac group and 10 μmol/L 5-Zac group was signficantly increased, which was (1.9 ± 0.06)%, (8.89 ± 1.36)%, and (24.50 ± 3.68)% in the 0 μmol/L 5-Zac group, the 5 μmol/L 5-Zac group, and the 10 μmol/L 5-Zac mol/L group respectively. The bisulfite genomic sequencing showed that the demethylation probability of CpG points on -601 bp and -553 bp was significantly increased in the 5-Zac treated cells compared with those untreated. CONCLUSION 5-Zac can result in the increase of PD-1 expression in the human lymphoid cell series Molt-4 in vitro, and the apoptosis rate increases, which is related to PD-1 gene promoter demethylation.
Apoptosis ; genetics ; Azacitidine ; pharmacology ; Cell Line ; CpG Islands ; genetics ; DNA Methylation ; drug effects ; genetics ; Enzyme Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor ; genetics ; metabolism ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes ; cytology ; metabolism

BACKGROUND: The SMARCA4 mutation has been shown to account for at least 10% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the present, conventional radiotherapy and targeted therapy are difficult to improve outcomes due to the highly aggressive and refractory nature of SMARCA4-deficient NSCLC (SMARCA4-DNSCLC) and the absence of sensitive site mutations for targeted drug therapy, and chemotherapy combined with or without immunotherapy is the main treatment. Effective SMARCA4-DNSCLC therapeutic options, however, are still debatable. Our study aimed to investigate the efficacy and prognosis of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in combination with chemotherapy and chemotherapy in patients with stage III-IV SMARCA4-DNSCLC. METHODS: 46 patients with stage III-IV SMARCA4-DNSCLC were divided into two groups based on their treatment regimen: the chemotherapy group and the PD-1 ICIs plus chemotherapy group, and their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Efficacy assessment and survival analysis were performed in both groups, and the influencing factors for prognosis were explored for patients with SMARCA4-DNSCLC. RESULTS: Male smokers are more likely to develop SMARCA4-DNSCLC. There was no significant difference in the objective response rate (76.5% vs 69.0%, P=0.836) between chemotherapy and the PD-1 ICIs plus chemotherapy or the disease control rate (100.0% vs 89.7%, P=0.286). The one-year overall survival rate in the group with PD-1 ICIs plus chemotherapy was 62.7%, and that of the chemotherapy group was 46.0%. The difference in median progression-free survival (PFS) between the PD-1 ICIs plus chemotherapy group and the chemotherapy group was statistically significant (9.3 mon vs 6.1 mon, P=0.048). The results of Cox regression analysis showed that treatment regimen and smoking history were independent influencing factors of PFS in patients with stage III-IV SMARCA4-DNSCLC, and family history was an individual influencing factor of overall survival in patients with stage III-IV SMARCA4-DNSCLC. CONCLUSIONS Treatment regimen may be a prognostic factor for patients with SMARCA4-DNSCLC, and patients with PD-1 ICIs plus chemotherapy may have a better prognosis.
Humans ; Male ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/genetics* ; Lung Neoplasms/genetics* ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/genetics* ; Retrospective Studies ; Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/therapeutic use* ; Prognosis ; DNA Helicases/genetics* ; Nuclear Proteins/genetics* ; Transcription Factors/genetics*

Lung cancer is one of the malignant tumors with the highest morbidity and mortality in the world. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), including programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) antibody, programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibody, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) antibody. It has brought significant survival benefits to some patients with advanced lung cancer and changed the treatment pattern of advanced lung cancer. Previous studies have shown that the objective response rate of PD-1/PD-L1 antibody in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is only about 20%. So reliable biomarkers are urgently needed to screen out the potential benefit population of ICIs and improve the clinical response rate. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) is an emerging biomarker of immunotherapy in addition to PD-L1 expression. There is little correlation between PD-L1 expression and TMB in lung cancer. It is estimated that TMB can expand the benefit population of immunotherapy. However, in clinical practice, the detection of TMB, the determination of cut-off value and the clinical guidance strategy are still not standardized. This consensus will give guiding suggestions on the detection and application scenarios of TMB, so as to promote the standardization of TMB application for immunotherapy in lung cancer.
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B7-H1 Antigen/genetics* ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/therapy* ; Consensus ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Lung Neoplasms/therapy* ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/genetics*