Biology subjects

Ferri, L.

Publications and source records attributed to Ferri, L..

10 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Deposition Establishes an Immunosuppressive Environment in Non-metastatic Lymph Nodes and Facilitates Heterologous Metastatic Outgrowth

Metastasis accounts for most cancer-related mortality, and regional lymph nodes (LNs) are among the earliest sites of dissemination for many solid tumours. Yet tumour-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs) are also sites of adaptive immune activation, raising the question of how these immune organs become permissive to metastatic growth. We investigated whether neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which accumulate in TDLNs before detectable tumour-cell arrival, contribute to immune conditioning of histologically tumour-negative nodes and whether the consequences of this conditioning extend beyond the initiating tumour. Using multiplex immunofluorescence and spatial transcriptomic profiling of TDLNs from 19 patients with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma, we found that NET positivity in non-metastatic TDLNs was associated with inferior overall survival and a distinct immunoregulatory state characterized by closer NET-Treg spatial relationships, coordinated increases in Treg-associated transcriptional programs, altered immune composition and redistribution of CD8 T cells away from Tregs. NET-positive nodes also showed reduced CD8 naive/stem-like transcription, while greater peri-Treg CD8 redistribution was associated with lower cytotoxic-effector transcription. In vitro, direct NET exposure shifted human T cells toward regulatory and dysfunction-associated phenotypes and impaired tumour-cell control. NET-conditioned Tregs further suppressed CD8 T cell proliferation and granzyme B expression, while depletion of Tregs attenuated NET-associated CD8 apoptosis. In tumour-bearing mice, neutrophil elastase inhibition altered activated Treg distribution across tumour-draining and contralateral LNs. Importantly, prior H59 tumour conditioning increased susceptibility to a subsequent heterologous MC38 metastatic challenge after removal of the initiating tumour; this phenotype was attenuated by TDLN resection and PAD4 deficiency. Adoptive transfer of contralateral-LN T cells from conditioned donors further identified a transferable component of this metastasis-permissive state that was sensitive to NET-directed intervention. These findings support a model in which NET-associated nodal immune conditioning alters Treg and CD8 T cell organization and function before overt nodal metastasis. The consequences of this conditioning extend beyond the draining node and can shape host susceptibility to a subsequent heterologous tumour challenge, broadening the premetastatic-niche concept toward conditioning of the host immune state.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2026

Rev-erbα inhibits vascular calcification by repressing osteogenic reprogramming in atherosclerosis

Background: Atherosclerotic plaque rupture is the most deleterious atherogenic event, responsible for the majority of fatal acute atherothrombotic and myocardial infarctions. Intimal microcalcification is a major cause of atherosclerotic plaque instability. Yet, a thorough characterization of the mechanisms controlling intimal calcification is needed to develop innovative therapeutic strategies to treat high risk patients. The nuclear receptor Rev-erb regulates lipoprotein metabolism and exerts anti-inflammatory activities. Here, we hypothesized that Rev-erb modulates atherogenesis by regulating arterial calcification processes. Methods: We used a multi-omics approach in the ANGIOSAFE and the ATHEROPORTAL human cohort to identify pathways and factors associated with vascular calcification in diabetic patients. We then compared REV-ERB expression between calcified and non-calcified areas of human endarterectomies using laser capture microdissection assays (n=11-22/group). We assessed the role of Rev-erb on calcium deposition and expression of osteoblast markers in aortic roots of 18-month-old Ldlr-/-Rev-erb-/- and Ldlr-/-Rev-erb+/+ mice (n=10/group). Rev-erb-dependent molecular pathways that drive calcification were identified using gene expression profiling in aortic plaques from Ldlr-/-Rev-erb-/- and Ldlr-/-Rev-erb+/+ mice (n=8-10/group). We then confirmed omics data using primary aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) (n=3-6) in vitro assessing inflammation-driven calcification process as well as Rev-erb-dependent transcriptional mechanisms. Results: REV-ERB expression is significantly lower in circulating anti-inflammatory classical CD14+CD16- monocytes from diabetic patients with low coronary artery calcium (CAC) compared to those exhibiting high CAC scores while its expression is lower in highly calcified plaques from patients with diabetes mellitus compared to those with no diabetes or no calcification. Consistently, REV-ERB is markedly downregulated in calcified areas of human endarterectomy samples, while remaining higher in non-calcified regions. Rev-erb deficient Ldlr-/- mice exhibit accelerated atherogenesis and vascular calcification, and aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) exhibit a reprogramming toward an osteochondroblastic phenotype. Functional in vitro studies show that Rev-erb maintains SMC identity by preventing their IL-1{beta}-driven transdifferentiation into osteochondroblast-like cells, notably through the repression of key osteogenic regulators. Finally, while hyaluronic acid degradation is known to promote intimal calcification, we demonstrate that Rev-erb represses the hyaluronidase Cemip expression during SMC transdifferentiation. Conclusions: Rev-erb is identified as an important brake on SMC-driven vascular calcification, suppressing both osteogenic reprogramming and matrix-remodeling pathways. Thus, this study opens new avenues for developing novel therapeutic tools targeting Rev-erb to reduce vascular calcification and associated cardiovascular risk in high-risk patients.

pathology↗

bioRxiv2026

RORγ Inverse Agonism Redirects Tumour-Conditioned Emergency Myelopoiesis and Attenuates Established Tumour Progression

Systemic inflammation is associated with poor outcomes in gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA), but how it contributes to disease progression remains unclear. We investigated retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor gamma (ROR{gamma}) as a regulator of tumour-conditioned myeloid responses. In treatment-naive GEA patients, elevated circulating neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (cNLR) tracked with circulating ROR{gamma} positive neutrophils and tumoural spatial organization of ROR{gamma} positive myeloid cells, rather than neutrophil abundance. In syngeneic tumour models, pharmacologic ROR{gamma} inverse agonism altered marrow progenitor composition before tumour-growth divergence and remodeled myeloid organization across bone marrow, tumour and lung despite no endpoint change in circulating neutrophil proportions, which did not capture the earlier marrow response or subsequent tumour trajectory. ROR{gamma} perturbation enhanced longitudinal tumour control with PD-L1 blockade, whereas effects on metastatic establishment depended on tumour conditioning and treatment timing. These findings identify ROR{gamma} associated myeloid programming as a therapeutically tractable, context-dependent regulator linking systemic inflammation, hematopoiesis, tissue immune organization, and cancer progression.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2025

A fibroblast-centric network drives cold fibrosis in the tumor microenvironment of lung squamous cell carcinoma

The tumor microenvironment (TME) of chronic inflammation-associated cancers (CIACs) is shaped by cycles of injury and maladaptive repair, yet the principles organizing fibrotic stroma in these tumors remain unclear. Here, we applied the concept of hot versus cold fibrosis, originally credentialed in non-cancerous fibrosis of heart and kidney, to lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), a prototypical CIAC. Single-cell transcriptomics of matched tumor and adjacent-normal tissue from 16 treatment-naive LUSC patients identified a cold fibrotic architecture in the LUSC TME: cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) expanded and adopted myofibroblast and stress-response states, while macrophages were depleted. This macrophage-poor, CAF-rich stroma was maintained by CAF autocrine growth factor loops, including TIMP1, INHBA, TGFB1, and GMFB. In parallel, the immune compartment exhibited a hot tumor phenotype with abundant T and B cells, forming spatially distinct but molecularly engaged networks with CAFs. CAF gene programs typifying cold fibrosis in LUSC were conserved in other CIACs, including esophageal and gastric adenocarcinomas. These results redefine desmoplastic regions of tumors through the lens of a non-cancer fibrosis model, demonstrating that conserved stromal circuits constitute therapeutic vulnerabilities in CIACs.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Optimized large-scale longitudinal biorepository of gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma patient-derived organoids: High-fidelity models for personalized treatment to overcome resistance.

A major limitation in studying gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) has been the lack of reliable models that represent the diseases complexity. We present lessons learned from a comprehensive large-scale biobanking effort combining traditional sample collection with several in vitro models including 3-dimensional patient-derived organoids (PDOs), 2-dimensional cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and/or in vivo xenografts. This initiative started in 2018, integrating multiple advanced ex-vivo models such as PDOs, patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) and organoids (PDXOs). This unique resource now includes tumor avatars from over 380 consented patients, making it the largest living GEA biobank in the world. We achieved > 90% success rate in creating per-patient models, including 227 tumor-derived and 203 neighboring normal PDOs. These organoids accurately mirror key features of the original tumors, such as their histology (e.g. microsatellite instability), mutations, and drug response, across treatment points. Notably, PDOs can predict individual patient responses to chemotherapy within five weeks, underscoring their clinical relevance. Furthermore, high-throughput drug screening on PDO subsets generates personalized chemosensitivity profiles for 22 drugs. Through a process of continued refinement of culture techniques and tumor sampling approach, our large-scale comprehensive collection of GEA avatars represents a unique and valuable preclinical experimental resource for precision oncology. Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=76 SRC="FIGDIR/small/663874v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (28K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@f8a032org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@dd6fa3org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1cc558corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@492a5_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG Schematic depiction of GEA live-banking workflow C_FIG

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Alterations of the composition and spatial organization of the microenvironment following non-dysplastic Barrett's esophagus through progression to cancer

Barretts esophagus (BE), a metaplastic condition that is the only known precursor for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), is relatively common, but progression to cancer is infrequent. BE is inflamed but the contribution of the immune system to the carcinogenic process is unknown. To this end, we contrasted non-dysplastic metaplasia of BE patients, captured when they did not progress (non-progressors), did subsequently, but had not yet progressed (pre-progressors) or had already progressed to EAC (progressors). Using spatial multiplexed 56-protein analysis, serial laser capture microdissection (LCM) RNAseq and shallow whole genome sequencing, we identified prooncogenic immune neighbourhoods and dysregulated immune cell populations predictive of subsequent progression to EAC. Indeed, spatial analysis revealed that M1 macrophages, regulatory natural killer (NK) cells, neutrophils and altered ratios of intraepithelial CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes typify tumor microenvironmental (TME) changes associated with cancer initiation. Spatially derived cell-to-cell interactions revealed progression-specific immune cell interaction signatures predominantly involving M1 macrophages NK cells and plasma cells. Furthermore, LCM RNAseq analysis identified gene expression hot signatures enriched in pre-progression and progression samples. Notably, we also observed a correlation between immune cells and copy number alterations in progressor metaplasia. By exposing coordinated changes in the immune cell landscape in patients at high risk of developing EAC, this multi-omic dataset provides novel diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Feasibility Study Utilizing NanoString Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) Technology for Characterizing the Immune Microenvironment in Barrett's Esophagus FFPE Tissues

To date, characterization of the Barretts esophagus (BE) immune microenvironment in patients with known progression status to determine how the microenvironment may influence BE progression to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has been understudied, hindering both the biological understanding of progression and the development of novel diagnostics and therapies. Therefore, this studys aim was to determine if highly multiplex interrogation of the immune microenvironment can be performed on endoscopic formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples utilizing the Nanostring GeoMx digital spatial profiling (GeoMx DSP) platform. We performed spatial proteomic analysis of 49 proteins expressed in the microenvironment and epithelial cells of histologically identical FFPE endoscopic biopsies from patients with non-dysplastic BE (NDBE) who later progressed to high-grade dysplasia (HGD) or EAC (N=7) or from patients who after at least 5 years follow up did not (N=8). In addition, we performed RNA analysis of 1,812 cancer related transcripts on a series of three endoscopic mucosal resections containing regions of normal tissue, BE, dysplasia (DYS), and EAC. Our primary goal was to determine feasibility of this approach and begin to identify the types of specific immune cell populations that may mediate the progression of pre-neoplastic BE to EAC. Spatial proteomic and transcriptomic profiling with GeoMx DSP showed reasonable quality metrics and detected expected differences between epithelium and stroma. Several proteins were found to have increased expression within non-dysplastic BE biopsies from progressors compared to non-progressors, suggesting further studies on the BE microenvironment are warranted. SummaryNew biological insights into the stepwise development and progression of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) from Barretts esophagus (BE) are imperative to develop tailored approaches for early detection and optimal clinical management of the disease. This study aimed to determine the feasibility to spatially profile stromal and immunologic properties that accompany malignant transformation of BE to EAC in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. NanoStrings Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) technology can detect and quantify protein and RNA transcripts in a highly multiplexed manner with spatial resolution, within specific regions of interest on FFPE tissue. Here, we performed a pilot study using the Nanostring GeoMx DSP, for measurement of protein and ribonucleic acid (RNA) expression on a series of FFPE slides from endoscopic biopsies and endoscopic mucosal resections (EMR) of BE. We compare a small series of biopsies of non-dysplastic BE (NDBE) from patients who progressed to more advanced disease to patients with NBDE who did not progress and then perform RNA profiling on EMRs with a range of histologic diagnoses.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Tumour Extracellular Vesicles Induce Neutrophil Extracellular Traps To Promote Lymph Node Metastasis

Lymph nodes (LNs) are frequently the first sites of metastasis. Currently, the only prognostic LN assessment is determining metastasis status. However, there is evidence suggesting that LN metastasis is facilitated by a pre-metastatic niche induced by tumour derived extracellular vehicles (EVs). Therefore, it is important to detect and modify the LN environmental changes. We have previously reported that neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) can sequester and promote distant metastasis. Here, we first confirmed that LN NETs are associated with reduced patient survival. Next, we demonstrated that NETs deposition precedes LN metastasis and NETs inhibition abolishes LN metastases in animal mode. Furthermore, we discovered that EVs are essential to the formation of LN NETs. Lymphatic endothelial cells secrete CXCL8/2 in response to EVs inducing NETs formation and the promotion of LN metastasis. Our findings are the first to reveal the role of EV induced NETs in LN metastasis and provide potential immunotherapeutic vulnerabilities. Graphic AbstractIllustrative demonstration of the LNs premetastatic niche formation induced by EVs and NETs. Primary tumour constantly secretes EVs, which were actively uptaken by LECs. LECs subsequently secretes CXCL8 or CXCL2 upon EV reception. CXCL8 and CXCL2 are both neutrophil chemoattractants and potent NETs inducers. The following neutrophil recruitment and NETs formation lead to increased LN metastasis burden. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=173 HEIGHT=200 SRC="FIGDIR/small/532413v2_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (51K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@c0c371org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@15f6a92org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@14dbeedorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@131d3eb_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Data-Independent Acquisition and Quantification of Extracellular Matrix from Human Lung in Chronic Inflammation-Associated Carcinomas

Early events associated with chronic inflammation and cancer involve significant remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM), which greatly affects its composition and functional properties. Using lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), a chronic inflammation-associated cancer (CIAC), we optimized a robust proteomic pipeline to discover potential biomarker signatures and protein changes specifically in the stroma. We combined ECM enrichment from fresh human tissues, data-independent acquisition strategies, and stringent statistical processing to analyze Tumor and matched adjacent histologically normal ( Matched Normal) tissues from patients with LSCC. Overall, 1,802 protein groups were quantified with at least two unique peptides, and 56% of those proteins were annotated as extracellular. Confirming dramatic ECM remodeling during CIAC progression, 529 proteins were significantly altered in the Tumor compared to Matched Normal tissues. The signature was typified by a coordinated loss of basement membrane proteins and small leucine-rich proteins. The dramatic increase in the stromal levels of SERPINH1/heat shock protein 47, that was discovered using our ECM proteomic pipeline, was validated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) of Tumor and Matched Normal tissues, obtained from an independent cohort of LSCC patients. This integrated workflow provided novel insights into ECM remodeling during CIAC progression, and identified potential biomarker signatures and future therapeutic targets. Statement of significance of the studyThe extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex scaffolding network composed of glycoproteins, proteoglycans and collagens, which binds soluble factors and, most importantly, significantly impacts cell fate and function. Alterations of ECM homeostasis create a microenvironment promoting tumor formation and progression, therefore deciphering molecular details of aberrant ECM remodeling is essential. Here, we present a multi-laboratory and refined proteomic workflow, featuring i) the prospective collection of tumor and matched histologically normal tissues from patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma, ii) the enrichment for ECM proteins, and iii) subsequent label-free data-independent acquisition (DIA)-based quantification. DIA is a powerful strategy to comprehensively profile and quantify all detectable precursor ions contained in the biological samples, with high quantification accuracy and reproducibility. When combined with very stringent statistical cutoffs, this unbiased strategy succeeded in capturing robust and highly confident proteins changes associated with cancer, despite biological variability between individuals. This label-free quantification workflow provided the flexibility required for ongoing prospective studies. Discussions with clinicians, surgeons, pathologists, and cancer biologists represent an opportunity to interrogate the DIA digitalized maps of the samples for newly formulated questions and hypotheses, thus gaining insights into the continuum of the disease and opening the path to novel ECM-targeted therapies.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Rev-erb-α controls skeletal muscle calcium homeostasis through myoregulin repression: implications in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) plays an important role in calcium homeostasis. SR calcium mishandling is described in pathological conditions such as myopathies. Here, we investigated whether the nuclear receptor Rev-erb- regulates skeletal muscle SR calcium homeostasis. Our data demonstrate that Rev-erb invalidation in mice impairs SERCA-dependent SR calcium uptake. Rev-erb- acts on calcium homeostasis by repressing the SERCA inhibitor Myoregulin, through direct binding to its promoter. Restoration of Myoregulin counteracts the effects of REV-ERB- overexpression on SR calcium content. Interestingly, myoblasts from Duchenne myopathy patients display downregulated REV-ERB expression, whereas pharmacological Rev-erb activation ameliorates SR calcium homeostasis, and improves muscle structure and function in dystrophic mdx/Utr+/- mice. Our findings demonstrate that Rev-erb- regulates muscle SR calcium homeostasis, pointing to its therapeutic interest for mitigating myopathy.

cell biology↗