Gao Yang, Luo CanJing, Yang Hua, Xie QiaoJin, He HaoJie, Li JiaWei, Miao JiDong
Health Management Center, Zigong Fourth People's Hospital, Zigong, Sichuan Province, China.
Department of General Surgery, Zigong Fourth People's Hospital, Zigong, Sichuan Province, China.
Cytojournal. 2025 Mar 6;22:29. doi: 10.25259/Cytojournal_245_2024. eCollection 2025.
OBJECTIVE: Colorectal cancer (CRC) presents significant treatment challenges, including immune evasion and tumor microenvironment (TME) suppression. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has shown promise in hematologic malignancies, but its effectiveness against solid tumors is hampered by the detrimental effects of the TME. This article aims to explore the potential of bispecific CAR T cells targeting programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in CRC treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Dual-targeted CAR-T cells against PD-L1 and CAF were engineered using the GV400 lentiviral vector. Programmed death-1 (PD-1)/nanobody (Nb) and fibroblast activation protein (FAP)/Nb-encoding lentiviral vectors were generated, and CAR T cells were produced through a three-plasmid system in 293T cells. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were separated, transduced with these vectors, and then expanded. Functional characterization of CAR-T cells was performed through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot analysis, flow cytometry, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays, and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Migration and invasion assays were conducted using Transwell chambers to assess the ability of FAP-PD-1/Nb CAR-T cells to migrate toward tumor cells and invade the extracellular matrix. RESULTS: We developed dual-targeted CAR-T cells incorporating PD-L1 and CAF Nbs, which continuously secreted PD-1/Nb. Western blot confirmed PD-1/Nb expression in PD-1/Nb and FAP-PD-1/Nb CAR-T cells, with no expression in the untreated (UTD) group ( < 0.01). Flow cytometry showed a significantly higher cluster of differentiation (CD)25 and CD69 expression in FAP-PD-1/Nb CAR-T cells upon stimulation with FAP-positive target cells compared with the other groups ( < 0.01). TUNEL, flow cytometry, and CCK-8 assays revealed that FAP-PD-1/Nb CAR-T cells exhibited superior cytotoxicity and proliferation inhibition against FAP-positive HCT116 cells ( < 0.01). ELISA demonstrated increased interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels and reduced interleukin-10 ( < 0.01), suggesting enhanced cytokine modulation and antitumor immunity. Compared with single-target CAR-T cells and UTD, FAP-PD-1/Nb CAR-T cells showed notably enhanced Matrigel penetration and invasion ( < 0.01). Safety tests confirmed minimal cytotoxicity to normal PBMCs, indicating favorable safety. CONCLUSION: This study successfully developed dual-targeted CAR-T cells against PD-L1 and CAF and demonstrated their superior antitumor activity and immunomodulatory effects on CRC treatment. This novel therapeutic strategy was established using CAR T-cell technology for the treatment of CRC.
目的:结直肠癌(CRC)带来了重大的治疗挑战,包括免疫逃逸和肿瘤微环境(TME)抑制。嵌合抗原受体(CAR)T细胞疗法在血液系统恶性肿瘤中已显示出前景,但其对实体瘤的有效性受到TME的不利影响的阻碍。本文旨在探讨靶向程序性死亡配体1(PD-L1)和癌相关成纤维细胞(CAFs)的双特异性CAR T细胞在CRC治疗中的潜力。 材料与方法:使用GV400慢病毒载体构建针对PD-L1和CAF的双靶点CAR-T细胞。构建编码程序性死亡-1(PD-1)/纳米抗体(Nb)和成纤维细胞活化蛋白(FAP)/Nb的慢病毒载体,并通过三质粒系统在293T细胞中产生CAR T细胞。分离人外周血单个核细胞(PBMCs),用这些载体进行转导,然后进行扩增。通过酶联免疫吸附测定(ELISA)、蛋白质印迹分析、流式细胞术、末端脱氧核苷酸转移酶dUTP缺口末端标记(TUNEL)测定和细胞计数试剂盒-8(CCK-8)测定对CAR-T细胞进行功能表征。使用Transwell小室进行迁移和侵袭测定,以评估FAP-PD-1/Nb CAR-T细胞向肿瘤细胞迁移并侵入细胞外基质的能力。 结果:我们开发了包含PD-L1和CAF Nbs的双靶点CAR-T细胞,其持续分泌PD-1/Nb。蛋白质印迹证实PD-1/Nb在PD-1/Nb和FAP-PD-1/Nb CAR-T细胞中表达,而在未处理(UTD)组中无表达(<0.01)。流式细胞术显示,与其他组相比,FAP-PD-1/Nb CAR-T细胞在用FAP阳性靶细胞刺激后,分化簇(CD)25和CD69表达显著更高(<0.01)。TUNEL、流式细胞术和CCK-8测定显示,FAP-PD-1/Nb CAR-T细胞对FAP阳性HCT116细胞表现出优异的细胞毒性和增殖抑制作用(<0.01)。ELISA显示干扰素-γ和肿瘤坏死因子-α水平升高,白细胞介素-10降低(<0.01),表明细胞因子调节和抗肿瘤免疫增强。与单靶点CAR-T细胞和UTD相比,FAP-PD-1/Nb CAR-T细胞显示出明显增强的基质胶穿透和侵袭能力(<0.01)。安全性测试证实对正常PBMCs的细胞毒性最小,表明安全性良好。 结论:本研究成功开发了针对PD-L1和CAF的双靶点CAR-T细胞,并证明了它们在CRC治疗中具有优异的抗肿瘤活性和免疫调节作用。利用CAR T细胞技术建立了这种新型治疗策略用于CRC的治疗。
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