CD157: From immunoregulatory protein to potential therapeutic target

Our plain-English summary of CD157: From immunoregulatory protein to potential therapeutic target, by E. Ortolan, S. Augeri, G. Fissolo, et al (Immunology Letters, 2019).

The study

• Authors: E. Ortolan, S. Augeri, G. Fissolo, I. Musso, A. Funaro
• Journal: Immunology Letters
• Published: 2019;205:59-64
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 52 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

CD157/BST1 glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored glycoprotein is an evolutionary conserved dual-function receptor and β-NAD+-metabolizing ectoenzyme of the ADP-ribosyl cyclases gene family. Identified as bone marrow stromal cell and myeloid cell differentiation antigen, CD157 turned out to have a wider expression than originally assumed. The functional significance of human CD157 as an enzyme remains unclear, while it was well established in mouse models. Conversely, the receptor role of CD157 has been clearly delineated. In physiological conditions, CD157 is a key player in regulating leukocyte adhesion, migration and diapedesis. Underlying these functional roles is the ability of CD157 to bind with high affinity selected extracellular matrix components within their heparin-binding domains. CD157 binding to extracellular matrix promotes its interaction with β1 and β2-integrins and induces the organization of a multimolecular complex that is instrumental to the delivery of synergistic outside-in signals leading to optimal cell adhesion and migration, both in physiological and in pathological situations. CD157 also regulates cell adhesion and migration and is a marker of adverse prognosis in epithelial ovarian cancer and pleural mesothelioma. This review focuses on human CD157 expression and functions and provides an overview on its role in human pathology and its emerging potential as target for antibody-mediated immunotherapy.

Copyright © 2018 European Federation of Immunological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In plain English

This article is a review, not a new study. The authors, from the University of Torino, Italy, summarized research on CD157 (also called BST1), a protein on the surface of cells, especially certain white blood cells, that helps cells attach and move. The review covered CD157 in immune responses and in rheumatoid arthritis, leukemia, ovarian cancer and malignant pleural mesothelioma, noting that its part in rheumatoid arthritis had not been confirmed by experiments. The article does not discuss asbestos. Describing their group's earlier research, the authors reported that CD157 is found in more than 85% of malignant pleural mesotheliomas. High CD157 was associated with more aggressive tumors and shorter survival, notably in the biphasic type. Among patients with biphasic mesothelioma given platinum-based chemotherapy, those with high CD157 had significantly shorter survival than those with low CD157. Soluble CD157 was higher in mesothelioma fluid than in other pleural fluids, though not accurate enough on its own for diagnosis. The authors concluded that CD157 may help sort mesothelioma and ovarian cancer patients by likely outcome, and possibly serve as a treatment target.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Narrative review of published research on the CD157 protein
• Who was studied: No study population. The review covers published laboratory and clinical research on human CD157 and was written by a group at the University of Torino, Italy.
• Exposure: Not applicable. The review concerns a cell-surface protein, not an exposure, and does not mention asbestos or any fiber type.
• Main results:
  • In earlier research the review describes, CD157 was expressed in more than 85% of malignant pleural mesotheliomas
  • High CD157 expression was associated with greater tumor aggressiveness and shorter survival, notably in patients with biphasic malignant pleural mesothelioma (earlier study by the authors' group)
  • Among patients with biphasic malignant pleural mesothelioma who received platinum-based therapy, those with high CD157 expression had significantly shorter survival than those with low expression (earlier study by the authors' group)
  • In laboratory (in vitro) work, CD157 expression in mesothelioma cells correlated with increased cell growth, migration and invasion, and with reduced sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy
  • Soluble CD157 was significantly higher in malignant pleural mesothelioma effusions than in all other pleural effusions, whether from other cancers or from non-cancer causes (earlier study by the authors' group)
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that CD157 may be useful as a marker for sorting patients with ovarian cancer and mesothelioma into prognostic groups and for refining treatment choice, and possibly as a treatment target
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Soluble CD157 in pleural fluid is not accurate enough on its own to diagnose mesothelioma. The authors present it as supporting evidence when cytology is inconclusive.
  • What CD157 does in many of the tissues where it is found has not been fully examined
  • How CD157 might contribute to rheumatoid arthritis has not been shown by experiments

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Glycoprotein, Prognosis, Ovarian Cancer, Pleural Mesothelioma, Pathology, Immunotherapy.

Related studies

• CD157 enhances malignant pleural mesothelioma aggressiveness and predicts poor clinical outcome — E. Ortolan, A. Giacomino, et al. (2014)
• Expression and regulation of B7-H3 immunoregulatory receptor, in human mesothelial and mesothelioma cells: immunotherapeutic implications — L. Calabrò, L. Sigalotti, et al. (2011)
• Interleukin-6 as a therapeutic target in candidate inflammatory diseases — N. Nishimoto (2010)
• KAT5 (Tip60) is a potential therapeutic target in malignant pleural mesothelioma — S. Cregan, L. McDonagh, et al. (2016)
• The CUL4A ubiquitin ligase is a potential therapeutic target in skin cancer and other malignancies — J. Hannah, P.B. Zhou (2013)
• FAK signaling in human cancer as a target for therapeutics — B.Y. Lee, P. Timpson, et al. (2015)

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