Jaya Lakshmi Thangaraj, Michael Coffey, Edith Lopez, Dan S. Kaufman
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is highly expressed in the liver tumor microenvironment and is known to inhibit immune cell activity. Here, we used human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to produce natural killer (NK) cells engineered to mediate improved anti-HCC activity. Specifically, we produced iPSC-NK cells with either knockout TGF-β receptor 2 (TGFBR2-KO) or expression of a dominant negative (DN) form of the TGF-β receptor 2 (TGFBR2-DN) combined with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that target either GPC3 or AFP. The TGFBR2-KO and TGFBR2-DN iPSC-NK cells are resistant to TGF-β inhibition and improved anti-HCC activity. However, expression of anti-HCC CARs on iPSC-NK cells did not lead to effective anti-HCC activity unless there was also inhibition of TGF-β activity. Our findings demonstrate that TGF-β signaling blockade is required for effective NK cell function against HCC and potentially other malignancies that express high levels of TGF-β.
期刊介绍:
Cell Stem Cell is a comprehensive journal covering the entire spectrum of stem cell biology. It encompasses various topics, including embryonic stem cells, pluripotency, germline stem cells, tissue-specific stem cells, differentiation, epigenetics, genomics, cancer stem cells, stem cell niches, disease models, nuclear transfer technology, bioengineering, drug discovery, in vivo imaging, therapeutic applications, regenerative medicine, clinical insights, research policies, ethical considerations, and technical innovations. The journal welcomes studies from any model system providing insights into stem cell biology, with a focus on human stem cells. It publishes research reports of significant importance, along with review and analysis articles covering diverse aspects of stem cell research.