Translation of commensal bacteria mechanism for immunotherapy

项目摘要 微生物群与宿主健康和疾病的显着影响有关。值得注意的是， 肠道细菌与改善患者对癌症免疫疗法的反应有关。然而，在这方面， 对这些有益细菌功能的分子机制仍然知之甚少。在 特别是，肠球菌的特定菌株与抗PD-1/PD-L1治疗的应答改善有关 在转移性黑色素瘤、肺癌和肾癌患者中，但其作用机制尚不清楚。 也不用于改善癌症免疫疗法。Hang实验室最近的工作 证明了这些有益的肠球菌菌株具有独特的肽聚糖组成， 重塑酶基于这些研究，本项目假设肠球菌的特定菌株可能 启动先天免疫信号传导通路，增强抗PD-1/PD-L1免疫治疗， 癌的评价肠球菌在免疫治疗中的活性和作用机制， 癌症免疫治疗的保护因素，这项提案将研究特定的肠球菌菌株如何改变 癌症免疫治疗小鼠模型中的癌症生长、免疫细胞群体和微生物群组成。 此外，Hang实验室将鉴定肠球菌保护因子，并将其工程化到现有的人体内。 益生菌将我们的基本微生物群-癌症免疫治疗发现转化为新的治疗药物。最后， Hang实验室还将合成激活宿主途径新型免疫调节小分子 用于增强癌症免疫治疗。这些研究将揭示基本的微生物群- 癌症免疫治疗机制和开发新的治疗策略和药剂，以提高癌症 免疫疗法

PROJECT SUMMARY Microbiota are associated with remarkable effects on host health and disease. Notably, discrete species of commensal bacteria have been correlated with improved patient responses to cancer immunotherapy. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the functions of these beneficial bacteria remain poorly understood. In particular, specific strains of Enterococci have been linked with improved response to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment in patients with metastatic melanoma, lung, and kidney cancers, but their mechanism of action has not been elucidated nor employed to improve cancer immunotherapy. Recent work from the Hang laboratory has demonstrated that these beneficial strains of Enterococci have unique peptidoglycan composition and remodeling enzymes. Based on these studies, this project hypothesizes that specific strains of Enterococci may prime innate immune signaling pathways and enhance anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy against metastatic cancers. To evaluate the activity and mechanism(s) of Enterococci during immunotherapy as well as co-opt their protective factors for cancer immunotherapy, this proposal will examine how specific Enterococci strains alter cancer growth, immune cell populations, and microbiota composition in mouse models of cancer immunotherapy. In addition, the Hang laboratory will identify Enterococci protective factors and engineer them into existing human probiotics to translate our basic microbiota-cancer immunotherapy findings into novel therapeutic agents. Finally, the Hang laboratory will also synthesize novel immunomodulatory small molecules that activate host pathways used by Enterococci to enhance cancer immunotherapy. These studies will reveal fundamental microbiota- cancer immunotherapy mechanisms and develop new therapeutic strategies and agents to enhance cancer immunotherapy.