Listeria-based hepatocellular carcinoma vaccine facilitates anti-PD-1 therapy by regulating macrophage polarization

Oncogene. 2020 Feb;39(7):1429-1444. doi: 10.1038/s41388-019-1072-3. Epub 2019 Oct 28.

Abstract

Recently, patients with advanced cancers have been benefited greatly from immune checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint blockade is still suboptimal in HCC treatment and more immune modifications are needed to achieve an efficient therapeutic goal. Here, we investigated the combined administration of a Listeria-based HCC vaccine, Lmdd-MPFG, and the anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade antibody. We found that Lmdd-MPFG promoted the expression of PD-L1 in HCC cells but resensitized the tumor local T cell to respond to the anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. Mechanistically, the Lmdd-MPFG vaccine activates the NF-κB pathway in the tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) through the TLR2 and MyD88 pathway, and recruits p62 to activate the autophagy pathway. The overall effect is skewing the TAMs from M2-polarized TAMs into the M1-polarized TAMs. Most importantly, it skewed the cytokine profiles into antitumor one in the tumor microenvironment (TME). This change restores the T-cell reactivity to the anti-PD-1 blockade. Our results suggested that Lmdd-MPFG combined with PD-1 blockade exerted synergistic antitumor effects through modifying TAMs in the TME and removing T-cell inhibitory signals, thereby providing a new potential strategy for HCC treatment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Animals
  • Autophagy / drug effects
  • Autophagy / immunology
  • Cancer Vaccines / pharmacology*
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / immunology
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / metabolism
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / prevention & control*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / immunology
  • Liver Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology
  • Liver Neoplasms / prevention & control*
  • Macrophages / cytology*
  • Macrophages / drug effects*
  • Macrophages / immunology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Middle Aged
  • Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 / metabolism
  • NF-kappa B / metabolism
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / immunology*
  • Toll-Like Receptor 2 / metabolism
  • Tumor Microenvironment / drug effects
  • Tumor Microenvironment / immunology

Substances

  • Cancer Vaccines
  • Lmdd-MPFG vaccine
  • MYD88 protein, human
  • Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88
  • NF-kappa B
  • PDCD1 protein, human
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor
  • Toll-Like Receptor 2