Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase correlates with tumor immune activity and programmed death ligand-1 expression in Merkel cell carcinoma.
immunotherapy
programmed cell death 1 receptor
skin neoplasms
tumor biomarkers
Journal
Journal for immunotherapy of cancer
ISSN: 2051-1426
Titre abrégé: J Immunother Cancer
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101620585
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
12 2020
12 2020
Historique:
accepted:
30
11
2020
entrez:
28
12
2020
pubmed:
29
12
2020
medline:
21
9
2021
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and highly malignant skin cancer. Some cases have a good prognosis and spontaneous regression can occur. Reported prognostic markers, such as Merkel cell polyoma virus infection or programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression, remain insufficient for precisely estimating the vastly different patient outcomes. We performed RNA sequencing to evaluate the immune response and comprehensively estimate prognostic values of immunogenic factors in patients with MCC. We collected 90 specimens from 71 patients and 53 blood serum samples from 21 patients with MCC at 10 facilities. The mRNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues. Next-generation sequencing, immunohistochemical staining and blood serum tests were performed. Next-generation sequencing results classified MCC samples into two types: the 'immune active type' was associated with better clinical outcomes than the 'cell division type'. Expression of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) gene was highly significantly upregulated in the 'cell division type'. Among 395 genes, G6PD expression correlated with the presence of lymph node or distant metastases during the disease course and significantly negatively correlated with PD-L1 expression. Immunohistochemical staining of G6PD also correlated with disease-specific survival and exhibited less heterogeneity compared with PD-L1 expression. G6PD activity could be measured by a blood serum test. The detection values significantly increased as the cancer stage progressed and significantly decreased after treatment. G6PD expression was an immunohistochemically and serum-detectable prognostic marker that negatively correlated with immune activity and PD-L1 levels, and could be used to predict the immunotherapy response.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and highly malignant skin cancer. Some cases have a good prognosis and spontaneous regression can occur. Reported prognostic markers, such as Merkel cell polyoma virus infection or programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression, remain insufficient for precisely estimating the vastly different patient outcomes. We performed RNA sequencing to evaluate the immune response and comprehensively estimate prognostic values of immunogenic factors in patients with MCC.
METHODS
We collected 90 specimens from 71 patients and 53 blood serum samples from 21 patients with MCC at 10 facilities. The mRNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues. Next-generation sequencing, immunohistochemical staining and blood serum tests were performed.
RESULTS
Next-generation sequencing results classified MCC samples into two types: the 'immune active type' was associated with better clinical outcomes than the 'cell division type'. Expression of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) gene was highly significantly upregulated in the 'cell division type'. Among 395 genes, G6PD expression correlated with the presence of lymph node or distant metastases during the disease course and significantly negatively correlated with PD-L1 expression. Immunohistochemical staining of G6PD also correlated with disease-specific survival and exhibited less heterogeneity compared with PD-L1 expression. G6PD activity could be measured by a blood serum test. The detection values significantly increased as the cancer stage progressed and significantly decreased after treatment.
CONCLUSIONS
G6PD expression was an immunohistochemically and serum-detectable prognostic marker that negatively correlated with immune activity and PD-L1 levels, and could be used to predict the immunotherapy response.
Identifiants
pubmed: 33361404
pii: jitc-2020-001679
doi: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001679
pmc: PMC7759960
pii:
doi:
Substances chimiques
B7-H1 Antigen
0
CD274 protein, human
0
RNA, Neoplasm
0
G6PD protein, human
EC 1.1.1.49
Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase
EC 1.1.1.49
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Informations de copyright
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Competing interests: Nagoya City University is submitting patents for the G6PD test methods. MN invented the G6PD test method.