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| 2. |
- Bernal, Ximena E., et al.
(author)
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Empowering Latina scientists
- 2019
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In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 363:6429, s. 825-826
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)
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| 3. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(author)
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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy
- 2012
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In: Autophagy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1554-8635 .- 1554-8627. ; 8:4, s. 445-544
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.
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| 4. |
- Velasco Santiago, Marta, et al.
(author)
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Reprogramming primary melanoma cells to dendritic cell fate enhances tumor immunogenicity
- 2022
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Direct cell reprogramming is characterized by the use of defined factors to rewire the transcriptional and epigenetic network of one cell-type into one of a different lineage. We have recently identified the transcription factors PU.1, IRF8, and BAFT3 (PIB) as sufficient to induce a type 1 conventional dendritic cell (cDC1) fate in both somatic and cancer cells.1,2 cDC1 is a rare dendritic cell subset with unique ability to initiate de novo T cell responses after migrating to the tumor site. Several studies have shown that higher levels of cDC1s within the tumor microenvironment strongly correlate with good prognosis and responsiveness to immunotherapy for patients with melanoma.3 Therefore, we hypothesized that PIB factors could reprogram primary melanoma cells into functional antigen presenting cDC1s capable of presenting tumor antigens and restoring anti-tumor immunity.Methods Primary melanoma cells from eight patients were reprogrammed into cDC1-like cells through transduction with lentivirus constitutively expressing PIB. Reprogrammed cells were profiled at multiple time-points to characterize reprogramming efficiency, phenotype, and functional properties including cytokine secretion and the capacity to prime T cells.Results All eight PIB-transduced melanoma cells progressively acquired a cDC1 surface phenotype characterized by the expression of CD45 and HLA-DR, marking the acquisition of hematopoietic and antigen presentation phenotype. The cell reprogramming process was consistent across all cell lines. Induced cDC1s also expressed CD11c, the cDC1-specific markers CLEC9A and CD141 as well as the costimulatory molecules CD40, CD80 and CD86. Functionally, cDC1-like melanoma cells at day 9 secreted the human cDC1-specific cytokines IL12p70 and IL-29 upon stimulation with Poly(I:C). After pulsing with a 9mer MART-1 peptide restricted to HLA-A2, cDC1-like melanoma cells were able to prime allogeneic HLA-A2 matched naïve CD8+ T cells and resulted in expansion of MART-1-specific T-cells after an eight-day co-culture with IL-2 and IL-7. Moreover, autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were more reactive (higher expression of CD107a, CD137, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha) and cytotoxic towards cDC1-like melanoma cells compared to the original tumor cells.Conclusions Here, we demonstrated that melanoma cells from multiple patients can be efficiently reprogrammed into cDC1-like cells and present tumor-associated antigens. These results lay the groundwork for the development of cDC1 reprogramming as an innovative cancer immunotherapy to counteract immune escape and reactivating anti-tumor immunity.
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| 5. |
- Zimmermannova, Olga, et al.
(author)
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Restoring tumor immunogenicity with dendritic cell reprogramming
- 2023
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In: Science Immunology. - 2470-9468. ; 8:85
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Decreased antigen presentation contributes to the ability of cancer cells to evade the immune system. We used the minimal gene regulatory network of type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1) to reprogram cancer cells into professional antigen-presenting cells (tumor-APCs). Enforced expression of the transcription factors PU.1, IRF8, and BATF3 (PIB) was sufficient to induce the cDC1 phenotype in 36 cell lines derived from human and mouse hematological and solid tumors. Within 9 days of reprogramming, tumor-APCs acquired transcriptional and epigenetic programs associated with cDC1 cells. Reprogramming restored the expression of antigen presentation complexes and costimulatory molecules on the surfaces of tumor cells, allowing the presentation of endogenous tumor antigens on MHC-I and facilitating targeted killing by CD8 + T cells. Functionally, tumor-APCs engulfed and processed proteins and dead cells, secreted inflammatory cytokines, and cross-presented antigens to naïve CD8 + T cells. Human primary tumor cells could also be reprogrammed to increase their capability to present antigen and to activate patient-specific tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. In addition to acquiring improved antigen presentation, tumor-APCs had impaired tumorigenicity in vitro and in vivo. Injection of in vitro generated melanoma-derived tumor-APCs into subcutaneous melanoma tumors delayed tumor growth and increased survival in mice. Antitumor immunity elicited by tumor-APCs was synergistic with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Our approach serves as a platform for the development of immunotherapies that endow cancer cells with the capability to process and present endogenous tumor antigens.
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