Division of Foundational Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Department of Medical Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Mol Oncol. 2024 May;18(5):1209-1230. doi: 10.1002/1878-0261.13519. Epub 2023 Sep 17.
Human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancer continues to evade the immune system by promoting a suppressive tumor microenvironment. Therefore, immunotherapy appears to be a promising approach for targeting HPV-associated tumors. We hypothesized that valproic acid (VA) as an epigenetic agent combined with avelumab may enhance the antitumor immunity in HPV-associated solid tumors. We performed bulk RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) on total peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of seven nonresponders (NRs) and four responders (Rs). A total of 39 samples (e.g., pretreatment, post-VA, postavelumab, and endpoint) were analyzed. Also, we quantified plasma analytes and performed flow cytometry. We observed a differential pattern in immune response following treatment with VA and/or avelumab in NRs vs. Rs. A significant upregulation of transcripts associated with NETosis [the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs)] and neutrophil degranulation pathways was linked to the presence of a myeloid-derived suppressor cell signature in NRs. We noted the elevation of IL-8/IL-18 cytokines and a distinct transcriptome signature at the baseline and endpoint in NRs. By using the receiver operator characteristics, we identified a cutoff value for the plasma IL-8/IL-18 to discriminate NRs from Rs. We found differential therapeutic effects for VA and avelumab in NRs vs. Rs. Thus, our results imply that measuring the plasma IL-8/IL-18 and bulk RNA-Seq of PBMCs may serve as valuable biomarkers to predict immunotherapy outcomes.
人乳头瘤病毒(HPV)相关癌症通过促进抑制性肿瘤微环境继续逃避免疫系统。因此,免疫疗法似乎是针对 HPV 相关肿瘤的一种有前途的方法。我们假设作为一种表观遗传药物的丙戊酸(VA)与avelumab 联合使用可能会增强 HPV 相关实体瘤的抗肿瘤免疫力。我们对 7 名无应答者(NRs)和 4 名应答者(Rs)的外周血单核细胞(PBMCs)的总 RNA 进行了测序(RNA-Seq)。总共分析了 39 个样本(例如,预处理、后 VA、后avelumab 和终点)。此外,我们还定量了血浆分析物并进行了流式细胞术分析。我们观察到 VA 和/或avelumab 治疗后 NRs 与 Rs 之间的免疫反应存在差异模式。与 NRs 中髓样来源的抑制细胞特征相关的 NETosis(中性粒细胞细胞外陷阱(NETs)的形成)和中性粒细胞脱颗粒途径的转录物的显著上调与存在相关。我们注意到 NRs 中基线和终点时 IL-8/IL-18 细胞因子的升高和独特的转录组特征。通过使用接收器操作特性,我们确定了血浆 IL-8/IL-18 的截止值,以将 NRs 与 Rs 区分开来。我们发现 VA 和 avelumab 在 NRs 与 Rs 中的治疗效果存在差异。因此,我们的结果表明,测量血浆 IL-8/IL-18 和 PBMCs 的批量 RNA-Seq 可能是预测免疫治疗结果的有价值的生物标志物。