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Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the dynamics of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, spatial heterogeneity, and binding affinity of FDA-approved anti-PD-L1 antibodies (avelumab and atezolizumab) in gastric cancer. Additionally, we determined how PD-L1 glycosylation impacts antibody accumulation in gastric cancer cells., Methods: Dynamic PD-L1 expression was examined in NCIN87 gastric cancer cells. Comparative binding studies of avelumab and atezolizumab were conducted in gastric cancer models, both in vitro and in vivo . Antibody uptake in tumors was visualized through positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. PD-L1 glycosylation status was determined via Western blot analyses before and after PNGase F treatment., Results: Consistent findings revealed time-dependent PD-L1 induction in NCIN87 gastric cancer cells and spatial heterogeneity in tumors, as shown by PET imaging and immunofluorescence. Avelumab displayed superior binding affinity to NCIN87 cells compared to atezolizumab, confirmed by in vivo PET imaging and ex vivo biodistribution analyses. Notably, PD-L1 glycosylation at approximately 50 kDa was observed, with PNGase F treatment inducing a shift to 35 kDa in molecular weight. Tissue samples from patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) validated the presence of both glycosylated and deglycosylated PD-L1 (degPD-L1) forms in gastric cancer. Immunofluorescence microscopy and binding assays demonstrated enhanced avelumab binding post-deglycosylation., Discussion: This study provides an understanding of dynamic and spatially heterogeneous PD-L1 expression in gastric cancer. Anti-PD-L1 immunoPET was able to visualize gastric tumors, and PD-L1 glycosylation has significant implications for antibody recognition. These insights contribute to demonstrating the complexities of PD-L1 in gastric cancer, holding relevance for refining PD-L1 imaging-based approaches., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Ibrahim, Simó, Brown, Shmuel, Panikar, Benton, DeWeerd, Dehdashti, Park and Pereira.)

The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeting trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) and trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) are antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) clinically used to treat HER2-positive breast cancer, with the latter receiving clinical approval in 2021 for HER2-positive gastric cancer. Lovastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug, temporally elevates cell-surface HER2 in ways that enhance HER2-ADC binding and internalization. Methods: In an NCIN87 gastric xenograft model and a gastric patient-derived xenograft model, we used the 89 Zr-labeled or 64 Cu-labeled anti-HER2 antibody trastuzumab to investigate the dosing regimen of ADC therapy with and without coadministration of lovastatin. We compared the ADC efficacy of a multiple-dose ADC regime, which replicates the clinical dose regimen standard, with a single-dose regime. Results: T-DM1/lovastatin treatment inhibited tumor growth, regardless of multiple- or single-dose T-DM1 administration. Coadministration of lovastatin with T-DM1 or T-DXd as a single dose enhanced tumor growth inhibition, which was accompanied by a decrease in signal on HER2-targeted immuno-PET and a decrease in HER2-mediated signaling at the cellular level. DNA damage signaling was increased on ADC treatment in vitro. Conclusion: Our data from a gastric cancer xenograft show the utility of HER2-targeted immuno-PET to inform the tumor response to ADC therapies in combination with modulators of cell-surface target availability. Our studies also demonstrate that statins enhance ADC efficacy in both a cell-line and a patient-derived xenograft model in ways that enable a single-dose administration of the ADC., (© 2023 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

Metformin has effects beyond its antihyperglycemic properties, including altering the localization of membrane receptors in cancer cells. Metformin decreases human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) membrane density. Depletion of cell-surface HER decreases antibody-tumor binding for imaging and therapeutic approaches. Here, we used HER-targeted PET to annotate antibody-tumor binding in mice treated with metformin. Methods: Small-animal PET annotated antibody binding in HER-expressing xenografts on administration of an acute versus a daily dose schedule of metformin. Analyses at the protein level in the total, membrane, and internalized cell extracts were performed to determine receptor endocytosis, HER surface and internalized protein levels, and HER phosphorylation. Results: At 24 h after injection of radiolabeled anti-HER antibodies, control tumors had higher antibody accumulation than tumors treated with an acute dose of metformin. These differences were temporal, and by 72 h, tumor uptake in acute cohorts was similar to uptake in control. Additional PET imaging revealed a sustained decrease in tumor uptake on daily metformin treatment compared with control and acute metformin cohorts. The effects of metformin on membrane HER were reversible, and after its removal, antibody-tumor binding was restored. The time- and dose-dependent effects of metformin-induced HER depletion observed preclinically were validated with immunofluorescence, fractionation, and protein analysis cell assays. Conclusion: The findings that metformin decreases cell-surface HER receptors and reduces antibody-tumor binding may have significant implications for the use of antibodies targeting these receptors in cancer treatment and molecular imaging., (© 2023 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is overexpressed in various cancer types. HER2-targeting trastuzumab plus chemotherapy is used as first-line therapy for HER2-positive recurrent or primary metastatic gastric cancer, but intrinsic and acquired trastuzumab resistance inevitably develop over time. To overcome gastric cancer resistance to HER2-targeted therapies, we have conjugated trastuzumab with a beta-emitting therapeutic isotope, lutetium-177, to deliver radiation locally to gastric tumors with minimal toxicity. Because trastuzumab-based targeted radioligand therapy (RLT) requires only the extramembrane domain binding of membrane-bound HER2 receptors, HER2-targeting RLT can bypass any resistance mechanisms that occur downstream of HER2 binding. Leveraging our previous discoveries that statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, can enhance the cell surface-bound HER2 to achieve effective drug delivery in tumors, we proposed that the combination of statins and [ 177 Lu]Lu-trastuzumab-based RLT can enhance the therapeutic efficacy of HER2-targeted RLT in drug-resistant gastric cancers. We demonstrate that lovastatin elevates cell surface HER2 levels and increases the tumor-absorbed radiation dose of [ 177 Lu]Lu-DOTA-trastuzumab. Furthermore, lovastatin-modulated [ 177 Lu]Lu-DOTA-trastuzumab RLT durably inhibits tumor growth and prolongs overall survival in mice bearing NCI-N87 gastric tumors and HER2-positive patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) of known clinical resistance to trastuzumab therapy. Statins also exhibit a radioprotective effect, reducing radiotoxicity in a mice cohort given the combination of statins and [ 177 Lu]Lu-DOTA-trastuzumab. Since statins are commonly prescribed to patients, our results strongly support the feasibility of clinical studies that combine lovastatin with HER2-targeted RLT in HER2-postive patients and trastuzumab-resistant HER2-positive patients.

Resistance mechanisms and heterogeneity in HER2-positive gastric cancers (GC) limit Trastuzumab benefit in 32% of patients, and other targeted therapies have failed in clinical trials. Using patient samples, patient-derived xenografts (PDXs), partially humanized biological models, and HER2-targeted imaging technologies we demonstrate the role of caveolin-1 (CAV1) as a complementary biomarker in GC selection for Trastuzumab therapy. In retrospective analyses of samples from patients enrolled on Trastuzumab trials, the CAV1-high profile associates with low membrane HER2 density and low patient survival. We show a negative correlation between CAV1 tumoral protein levels - a major protein of cholesterol-rich membrane domains - and Trastuzumab-drug conjugate TDM1 tumor uptake. Finally, CAV1 depletion using knockdown or pharmacologic approaches (statins) increases antibody drug efficacy in tumors with incomplete HER2 membranous reactivity. In support of these findings, background statin use in patients associates with enhanced antibody efficacy. Together, this work provides preclinical justification and clinical evidence that require prospective investigation of antibody drugs combined with statins to delay drug resistance in tumors., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Although great progress has been made in treatment regimens, cervical cancer remains as one of the most common cancer in women worldwide. Studies focusing on molecules that regulate carcinogenesis may provide potential therapeutic strategies for cervical cancer. B7-H6, an activating immunoligand expressed by several tumor cells, is known to activate NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity once engaged with its natural receptor NKp30. However, the opposite, that is, the effects in the tumor cell triggered by B7-H6 after interacting with NKp30 has not yet been well explored., Methods: In this study, we evaluated the surface expression of B7-H6 by flow cytometry. Later, we stimulated B7-H6 positive cervical cancer derived-cell lines (HeLa and SiHa) with recombinant soluble NKp30 (sNKp30) protein and evaluated biological effects using the impedance RTCA system for cell proliferation, the scratch method for cell migration, and flow cytometry for apoptosis. Cellular localization of B7-H6 was determined using confocal microscopy., Results: Notably, we observed that the addition of sNKp30 to the cervical cancer cell lines decreased tumor cell proliferation and migration rate, but had no effect on apoptosis. We also found that B7-H6 is selectively maintained in tumor cell lines, and that efforts to sort and purify B7-H6 negative or positive cells were futile, as negative cells, when cultured, regained the expression of B7-H6 and B7-H6 positive cells, when sorted and cultivated, lost a percentage of B7-H6 expression., Conclusions: Our results suggest that B7-H6 has an important, as of yet undescribed, role in the biology of the cervical tumor cells themselves, suggesting that this protein might be a promising target for anti-tumor therapy in the future.

The infrared spectra of gaseous and variable-temperature liquid xenon solutions of pyrrolidine have been recorded. The enthalpy difference has been determined to be 109 ± 11 cm(-1) (1.30 ± 0.13 kJ mol(-1)) with the envelope-equatorial conformer more stable than the twist form with 37 ± 3% present at ambient temperature. Ab initio calculations utilizing various basis sets up to MP2(full)/aug-cc-pVTZ have been used to predict the conformational stabilities, energy at the equatorial-axial saddle point, and barriers to planarity. From previously reported microwave rotational constants along with MP2(full)/6-311+G(d,p) predicted structural values, adjusted r(0) parameters have been obtained for both conformers. Heavy atom distances (Å) of equatorial[twist] conformer are as follows: N(1)-C(2) = 1.469(3)[1.476(3)], N(1)-C(3) = 1.469(3)[1.479(3)], C(2)-C(4) = 1.541(3)[1.556(3)], C(3)-C(5) = 1.541(3)[1.544(3)], C(4)-C(5) = 1.556(3)[1.543(3)]; and angles (deg)∠N(1)C(2)C(4) = 102.5(5)[107.6(5)], ∠N(1)C(3)C(5) = 102.5(5)[105.4(5)], ∠C(2)C(4)C(5) = 104.3(5)[104.6(5)], ∠C(3)C(5)C(4) = 104.3(5)[103.7(5)], ∠C(2)N(1)C(3) = 104.1(5)[103.9(5)], τC(2)C(4)C(5)C(3) = 0.0(5)[13.5(5)]. A complete vibrational assignment is proposed for both conformers.

The microwave spectra of seven isotopomers of fluoromethylsilane, CH(2)FSiH(3), in the ground vibrational state were measured and analyzed in the frequency range 18-40 GHz. The rotational and centrifugal distortion constants were evaluated by the least-squares treatment of the observed frequencies of a- and b-type R- and b-type Q-transitions. The values for the components of the dipole moment were obtained from the measurements of Stark effects from both a- and b-type transitions and the determined values are: |mu(a)| = 1.041(5), |mu(b)| = 1.311(6), and |mu(t)| = 1.674(4) D. Structural parameters have been determined and the heavy atom distances (r(0)) in Angstroms are: Si-C = 1.8942(57) and C-F = 1.4035(55) and the angle in degree, angleSiCF = 109.58(14). A semi-experimental r(e) structure was also determined from experimental ground state rotational constants and vibration-rotation constants derived from ab initio force fields. The internal torsional fundamental, SiH(3), was observed at 149.2 cm(-1) with two accompanying hot bands at 138.8 and 127.5 cm(-1). The barrier to internal rotation was obtained as 717.3(16) cm(-1) (2.051(46) kcal mol(-1)) by combining the analysis of the microwave A and E splittings and the torsional fundamental and hot band frequencies. Ab initio calculations have been carried out with full electron correlation by the second-order perturbation method with several different basis sets up to MP2/6-311+G(d,p) to obtain geometrical parameters, barriers to internal rotation, and centrifugal distortion constants. Adjusted r(0) structural parameters have been obtained by combining the ab initio MP2/6-311+G(d,p) predicted values with the determined rotational constants for the fluoride as well as with the previously reported microwave data for the chloro- and bromo- compounds. These experimental results are compared to the corresponding parameters for the carbon analogues.