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Extra-cellular galectins 1, 3 and 9 (gal-1, -3 and -9) are known to act as soluble immunosuppressive agents in various malignancies. Previous publications have suggested that their expression is dependent on the metabolic status of producing cells and reciprocally that they can influence metabolic pathways in their target cells. Very little is known about the status of gal-1, -3 and -9 in patients bearing head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) and about their relationships with the systemic metabolic condition. This study was conducted in plasma samples from a prospective cohort of 83 HNSCC patients with advanced disease. These samples were used to explore the distribution of gal-1, -3 and -9 and simultaneously to profile a series of 87 metabolites assessed by mass spectrometry. We identified galectin and metabolic patterns within five disease categories defined according to the primary site and human papillomavirus (HPV) status (HPV-positive and -negative oropharyngeal carcinomas, carcinomas of the oral cavity, hypopharynx and larynx carcinomas). Remarkably, samples related to hypopharyngeal carcinomas displayed the highest average concentration of gal-9 (

International audience; Mechanisms of tumor immune escape are quite diverse and require specific approaches for their exploration in syngeneic tumor models. In several human malignancies, galectin-9 (gal-9) is suspected to contribute to the immune escape. However, in contrast with what has been done for the infiltrating cells, the contribution of gal-9 produced by malignant cells has never been demonstrated in an animal model. Therefore, we derived isogenic clones—either positive or negative for gal-9—from the MB49 murine bladder carcinoma cell line. A progressive and consistent reduction of tumor growth was observed when gal-9-KO cells were subjected to serial transplantations into syngeneic mice. In contrast, tumor growth was unaffected during parallel serial transplantations into nude mice, thus linking tumor inhibition to the enhancement of the immune response against gal-9-KO tumors. This stronger immune response was at least in part explained by changing patterns of response to interferon-γ. One consistent change was a more abundant production of CXCL10, a major inflammatory factor whose production is often induced by interferon-γ. Overall, these observations demonstrate for the first time that serial transplantation into syngeneic mice can be a valuable experimental approach for the exploration of novel mechanisms of tumor immune escape.; Les mécanismes d'échappement à l'immunité anti-tumorale sont assez divers et nécessitent des approches spécifiques pour être explorés de façon appropriée dans des modèles tumoraux syngéniques. Dans plusieurs affections malignies humaines, on suspecte la galectine-9 (gal-9) de contribuer à l'échappement immunitaire. Cependant, contrairement à ce qui a été fait pour les cellules infiltrantes, la contribution de la gal-9 produite par les cellules malignes n'a jamais été démontrée dans un modèle animal. Par conséquent, nous avons dérivé des clones isogéniques - positifs ou négatifs pour la gal-9 - à partir de la lignée cellulaire de carcinome vésical murin MB49. Une réduction progressive et reproductible de la croissance tumorale a été observée lorsque des cellules MB49 invalidées pour la gal-9 ont fait l'objet de transplantations en série dans des souris syngéniques. En revanche, la croissance tumorale n'a pas été affectée lors de transplantations en série réalisées de façon parallèle chez des souris nu/nu, démontrant ainsi le lien entre l'inhibition de la croissance tumorale et l'amélioration de la réponse immunitaire contre les tumeurs invalidées pour la gal-9. Cette réponse immunitaire plus forte s'expliquait au moins en partie par une modification des modalités de réponse à l'interféron-γ. Le changement le plus constamment observé était une production plus abondante de CXCL10, un facteur inflammatoire majeur dont la production est souvent induite par l'interféron-γ. Dans l'ensemble, ces observations démontrent pour la première fois que la transplantation tumorale itérative chez des souris syngéniques peut être une approche expérimentale précieuse pour l'exploration de nouveaux mécanismes d'échappement à l'immunité anti-tumorale.

// Mathieu Veyrat 1 , Sylvere Durand 2 , Marion Classe 3 , Tanja Matijevic Glavan 4 , Natalie Oker 1, 5 , Nikiforos-Ioannis Kapetanakis 1 , Xiaojun Jiang 1 , Aurore Gelin 1 , Philippe Herman 5 , Odile Casiraghi 6 , David Zagzag 7 , David Enot 2 , Pierre Busson 1 , Benjamin Verillaud 1, 5 1 University Paris-Sud (Paris 11), CNRS-UMR 8126, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France 2 Equipe 11 Labelisee par la Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, INSERM U1138, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Paris, France, Metabolomics and Molecular Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France 3 Department of Pathology, Lariboisiere Hospital, AP-HP, University Paris-Diderot Paris 7, Paris, France 4 Division of Molecular Medicine, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia 5 Department of Head and Neck surgery, Lariboisiere Hospital, AP-HP, University Paris-Diderot Paris 7, Paris, France 6 Department of Biopathology, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France 7 Department of Neuropathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA Correspondence to: Benjamin Verillaud, email: benjamin.verillaud@gmail.com Keywords: toll-like receptor 3, innate immunity, warburg effect, HIF, metabolomics Received: February 12, 2015 Accepted: October 19, 2016 Published: October 25, 2016 ABSTRACT In this study, a possible link between the innate immune recognition receptor TLR3 and metabolic reprogramming in Head and Neck carcinoma (HNC) cells was investigated. The effects of TLR3 stimulation/knock-down were assessed under several culture conditions in 4 HNC cell-lines by cell growth assays, targeted metabolomics, and glycolysis assays based on time-resolved analysis of proton release (Seahorse analyzer). The stimulation of TLR3 by its synthetic agonist Poly(A:U) resulted in a faster growth of HNC cells under low foetal calf serum conditions. Targeted analysis of glucose metabolism pathways demonstrated a tendency towards a shift from tricarboxylic acid cycle (Krebs cycle) to glycolysis and anabolic reactions in cells treated with Poly(A:U). Glycolysis assays confirmed that TLR3 stimulation enhanced the capacity of malignant cells to switch from oxidative phosphorylation to extra-mitochondrial glycolysis. We found evidence that HIF-1α is involved in this process: addition of the TLR3 agonist resulted in a higher cell concentration of the HIF-1α protein, even in normoxia, whereas knocking-down TLR3 resulted in a lower concentration, even in hypoxia. Finally, we assessed TLR3 expression by immunohistochemistry in a series of 7 HNSCC specimens and found that TLR3 was detected at higher levels in tumors displaying a hypoxic staining pattern. Overall, our results demonstrate that TLR3 stimulation induces the Warburg effect in HNC cells in vitro , and suggest that TLR3 may play a role in tumor adaptation to hypoxia.

International audience; Extra-cellular galectin-9 (gal-9) is an immuno-modulatory protein with predominant immuno-suppressive effects. Inappropriate production of gal-9 has been reported in several human malignancies and viral diseases like nasopharyngeal, pancreatic and renal carcinomas, metastatic melanomas and chronic active viral hepatitis. Therefore therapeutic antibodies neutralizing extra-cellular gal-9 are expected to contribute to immune restoration in these pathological conditions. Two novel monoclonal antibodies targeting gal-9-Gal-Nab 1 and 2-have been produced and characterized in this study. We report a protective effect of Gal-Nab1 and Gal-Nab2 on the apoptotic cell death induced by gal-9 in primary T cells. In addition, they inhibit late phenotypic changes observed in peripheral T cells that survive gal-9-induced apoptosis. Gal-Nab1 and Gal-Nab2 bind nearly identical, overlapping linear epi-topes contained in the 213-224 amino-acid segments of gal-9. Nevertheless, they have some distinct functional characteristics suggesting that their three-dimensional epitopes are distinct. These differences are best demonstrated when gal-9 is applied on Jurkat cells where Gal-Nab1 is less efficient than Gal-Nab2 in the prevention of apoptotic cell death. In addition, Gal-Nab1 stimulates non-lethal phosphatidylserine translocation at the plasma membrane and calcium mobilization triggered by gal-9 in these cells. Both Gal-Nab1 and 2 cross-react with murine gal-9. They bind its natural as well as its recombinant form. This cross-species recognition will be an advantage for their assessment in pre-clinical tumor models.

Background Because latent Epstein Barr (EBV)-infection is a specific characteristic of malignant nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), various molecules of viral origin are obvious candidate biomarkers in this disease. In a previous study, we could show in a few clinical samples that it was possible to detect a category of EBV microRNAs called miR-BARTs in the plasma of at least a fraction of NPC patients. The first aim of the present study was to investigate the status of circulating miR-BART17-5p (one of the miR-BARTs hereafter called miR-BART17) and EBV DNA in a larger series of NPC plasma samples. The second aim was to determine whether or not circulating miR-BART17 was carried by plasma exosomes. Patients and methods Plasma samples were collected from 26 NPC patients and 10 control donors, including 9 patients with non-NPC Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma and one healthy EBV carrier. Concentrations of miR-BART17 and two cellular microRNAs (hsa-miR-16 and -146a) were assessed by real-time quantitative PCR with spike-in normalization and absolute quantification. In addition, for 2 patients, exosome distributions of miR-BART17 and miR-16 were investigated following plasma lipoprotein fractionation by isopycnic density gradient ultrcentrifugation. Results The miR-BART17 was significantly more abundant in plasma samples from NPC patients compared to non-NPC donors. Above a threshold of 506 copies/mL, detection of miR-BART17 was highly specific for NPC patients (ROC curve analysis: AUC=0.87 with true positive rate = 0.77, false positive rate = 0.10). In this relatively small series, the concentration of plasma miR-BART17 and the plasma EBV DNA load were not correlated. When plasma samples were fractionated, miR-BART17 co-purified with a protein-rich fraction but not with exosomes. Conclusions Detection of high concentrations of plasma miR-BART17 is consistent in NPC patients. This parameter is, at least in part, independent of the viral DNA load. Circulating miR-BART17 does not co-purify with exosomes.

Background Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a human epithelial malignancy consistently associated with the Epstein-Barr virus. The viral genome is contained in the nuclei of all malignant cells with abundant transcription of a family of viral microRNAs called BART miRNAs. MicroRNAs are well known intra-cellular regulatory elements of gene expression. In addition, they are often exported in the extra-cellular space and sometimes transferred in recipient cells distinct from the producer cells. Extra-cellular transport of the microRNAs is facilitated by various processes including association with protective proteins and packaging in secreted nanovesicles called exosomes. Presence of microRNAS produced by malignant cells has been reported in the blood and saliva of tumor-bearing patients, especially patients diagnosed with glioblastoma or ovarian carcinoma. In this context, it was decided to investigate extra-cellular release of BART miRNAs by NPC cells and their possible detection in the blood of NPC patients. To address this question, we investigated by quantitative RT-PCR the status of 5 microRNAs from the BART family in exosomes released by NPC cells in vitro as well as in plasma samples from NPC xenografted nude mice and NPC patients. Results We report that the BART miRNAs are released in the extra-cellular space by NPC cells being associated, at least to a large extent, with secreted exosomes. They are detected with a good selectivity in plasma samples from NPC xenografted nude mice as well as NPC patients. Conclusions Viral BART miRNAs are secreted by NPC cells in vitro and in vivo. They have enough stability to diffuse from the tumor site to the peripheral blood. This study provides a basis to explore their potential as a source of novel tumor biomarkers and their possible role in communications between malignant and non-malignant cells.

BACKGROUND: Human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) is a key DNA repair enzyme involved in both base excision repair (BER) and nucleotide incision repair (NIR) pathways. In the BER pathway, APE1 cleaves DNA at AP sites and 3'-blocking moieties generated by DNA glycosylases. In the NIR pathway, APE1 incises DNA 5' to a number of oxidatively damaged bases. At present, physiological relevance of the NIR pathway is fairly well established in E. coli, but has yet to be elucidated in human cells. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDING: We identified amino acid residues in the APE1 protein that affect its function in either the BER or NIR pathway. Biochemical characterization of APE1 carrying single K98A, R185A, D308A and double K98A/R185A amino acid substitutions revealed that all mutants exhibited greatly reduced NIR and 3'-->5' exonuclease activities, but were capable of performing BER functions to some extent. Expression of the APE1 mutants deficient in the NIR and exonuclease activities reduced the sensitivity of AP endonuclease-deficient E. coli xth nfo strain to an alkylating agent, methylmethanesulfonate, suggesting that our APE1 mutants are able to repair AP sites. Finally, the human NIR pathway was fully reconstituted in vitro using the purified APE1, human flap endonuclease 1, DNA polymerase beta and DNA ligase I proteins, thus establishing the minimal set of proteins required for a functional NIR pathway in human cells. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Taken together, these data further substantiate the role of NIR as a distinct and separable function of APE1 that is essential for processing of potentially lethal oxidative DNA lesions.