2. Academic Validation
  3. Viral expression of NE/PPE enhances anti-colorectal cancer efficacy of oncolytic adenovirus by promoting TAM M1 polarization to reverse insufficient effector memory/effector CD8+ T cell infiltration

Viral expression of NE/PPE enhances anti-colorectal cancer efficacy of oncolytic adenovirus by promoting TAM M1 polarization to reverse insufficient effector memory/effector CD8+ T cell infiltration

  • J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2025 Mar 14;44(1):97. doi: 10.1186/s13046-025-03358-y.
Shuo Wang # 1 2 3,  Lingkai Kong # 1 2 3,  Linpei Wang # 4,  Yan Zhuang 2 3,  Ciliang Guo 2 3,  Yuxin Zhang 2 3,  Huawei Cui 2 3,  Xiaosong Gu 5 6,  Junhua Wu 7 8 9,  Chunping Jiang 10 11 12 13
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Division of Hepatobiliary and Transplantation Surgery, Department of General Surgery Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China.
  • 2 Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School, National Institute of Healthcare Data Science at Nanjing University, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.
  • 3 Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250021, China.
  • 4 Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, Fujian, 362000, China.
  • 5 State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Division of Hepatobiliary and Transplantation Surgery, Department of General Surgery Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China. Gunervegu@ntu.edu.cn.
  • 6 Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250021, China. Gunervegu@ntu.edu.cn.
  • 7 State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Division of Hepatobiliary and Transplantation Surgery, Department of General Surgery Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China. wujunhua@nju.edu.cn.
  • 8 Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School, National Institute of Healthcare Data Science at Nanjing University, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China. wujunhua@nju.edu.cn.
  • 9 Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250021, China. wujunhua@nju.edu.cn.
  • 10 State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Division of Hepatobiliary and Transplantation Surgery, Department of General Surgery Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China. chunpingjiang@nju.edu.cn.
  • 11 Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School, National Institute of Healthcare Data Science at Nanjing University, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China. chunpingjiang@nju.edu.cn.
  • 12 Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250021, China. chunpingjiang@nju.edu.cn.
  • 13 Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, Fujian, 362000, China. chunpingjiang@nju.edu.cn.
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 40082916 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-025-03358-y
Abstract

Background: Oncolytic adenoviruses are among the most widely utilized oncolytic viruses due to their notable anti-tumor and gene expression capabilities, and modification of ADVs to create armed adenoviruses remains a popular research direction. Nonetheless, immune suppression triggered by ADV and targeted enhancements based on this limitation have been relatively unexplored.

Methods: Flow cytometry was employed to assess immune infiltration in the tumor microenvironment following ADV therapy. Targeted novel recombinant oncolytic viruses, ADVNE and ADVPPE, were designed, and their antitumor efficacy, safety, and ability to reshape immune infiltration were evaluated in both subcutaneous tumor models in mice and in vitro experiments. Immune cell depletion assays confirmed the critical role of macrophages. The impact of HMGB1 on macrophage polarization was investigated using shRNA, qRT-PCR, ELISA, and flow cytometry. Furthermore, the importance of TLR4 and its downstream pathways was validated through immunoprecipitation, Western blotting, homozygous knockout mice, and TLR4 inhibitors.

Results: We demonstrated that ADV limits the infiltration of effector memory/effector CD8 + T cells (TEM/TE) within the tumor microenvironment. To address this, we leveraged the strong capacity of NE or PPE to recruit TEM/TE by constructing novel recombinant oncolytic adenoviruses, ADVNE or ADVPPE, armed with NE or PPE. These recombinant viruses induce Pyroptosis in colorectal Cancer cells accompanied by the release of HMGB1. HMGB1 binds to TLR4 on the surface of macrophages, activating the MyD88-NFκB-NLRP3 (ASC) pathway and promoting M1 polarization of TAMs, thereby increasing TEM/TE cell infiltration and enhancing antitumor efficacy.

Conclusions: In summary, this study presents the development of the novel oncolytic adenoviruses ADVNE and ADVPPE with enhanced anti-tumor efficacy and provides an in-depth exploration of their specific anti-tumor mechanisms. These findings indicate promising clinical therapeutic prospects and offer new insights for advancing oncolytic adenovirus therapies.

Keywords

Colorectal cancer; Effector memory/Effector CD8 + T cells; Neutrophil elastase; Oncolytic virus; Pyroptosis; Tumor microenvironment; Tumor-associated macrophages.

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