Departments of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Microbiology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA.
The Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Cell Rep. 2024 Jul 23;43(7):114377. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114377. Epub 2024 Jun 17.
Bone tissue represents the most frequent site of cancer metastasis. We developed a hemichannel-activating antibody, Cx43-M2. Cx43-M2, directly targeting osteocytes in situ, activates osteocytic hemichannels and elevates extracellular ATP, thereby inhibiting the growth and migration of cultured breast and osteosarcoma cancer cells. Cx43-M2 significantly decreases breast cancer metastasis, osteosarcoma growth, and osteolytic activity, while improving survival rates in mice. The antibody's inhibition of breast cancer and osteosarcoma is dose dependent in both mouse and human cancer metastatic models. Furthermore, Cx43-M2 enhances anti-tumor immunity by increasing the population and activation of tumor-infiltrating immune-promoting effector T lymphocytes, while reducing immune-suppressive regulatory T cells. Our results suggest that the Cx43-M2 antibody, by activating Cx43 hemichannels and facilitating ATP release and purinergic signaling, transforms the cancer microenvironment from a supportive to a suppressive state. Collectively, our study underscores the potential of Cx43-M2 as a therapeutic for treating breast cancer bone metastasis and osteosarcoma.
骨组织是癌症转移最常见的部位。我们开发了一种连接蛋白 43 (Cx43)的小半通道激活抗体(Cx43-M2)。Cx43-M2 直接靶向原位成骨细胞,激活成骨细胞小半通道并增加细胞外 ATP,从而抑制培养的乳腺癌和骨肉瘤癌细胞的生长和迁移。Cx43-M2 显著降低了乳腺癌转移、骨肉瘤生长和溶骨性活性,同时提高了小鼠的存活率。该抗体在小鼠和人类癌症转移模型中均表现出剂量依赖性的抑制乳腺癌和骨肉瘤的作用。此外,Cx43-M2 通过增加肿瘤浸润免疫促进效应 T 淋巴细胞的数量和激活,同时减少免疫抑制性调节性 T 细胞,增强抗肿瘤免疫。我们的研究结果表明,Cx43-M2 抗体通过激活 Cx43 小半通道并促进 ATP 释放和嘌呤能信号转导,将癌症微环境从支持状态转变为抑制状态。总的来说,我们的研究强调了 Cx43-M2 作为治疗乳腺癌骨转移和骨肉瘤的潜在治疗方法的重要性。