Surface-exposed and soluble calreticulin: conflicting biomarkers for cancer prognosis.

Abstract

Increased exposure of calreticulin (CALR) on malignant cells is associated with therapy-relevant adaptive immune responses and superior therapeutic outcome in solid tumors and haemato-oncological diseases, because surface-exposed CALR acts as an 'eat-me' signal facilitating the phagocytosis of stressed and dying cancer cells by immature dendritic cells, thus favoring antitumor immune responses. On the contrary, mutations of the CALR gene that cause the omission of the C-terminal KDEL endoplasmic reticulum retention motif from CALR protein, resulting in its secretion from cells, act as oncogenic drivers in myeloproliferative neoplasms via the autocrine activation of the thrombopoietin receptor. We recently showed that soluble CALR inhibited the phagocytosis of cancer cells by dendritic cells, thus dampening anticancer immune responses. Furthermore, systemic elevations of soluble CALR that is secreted from tumors or that is artificially supplied by injection of the recombinant protein decreased the efficacy of immunotherapy. Thus, depending on its location, CALR can have immunostimulatory or immunosuppressive functions.

• Authors: Oliver Kepp, Peng Liu, Liwei Zhao, Isabelle Plo, Guido Kroemer
• Journal: Oncoimmunology (Oncoimmunology) Vol. 9 Issue 1 Pg. 1792037 (07 20 2020) ISSN: 2162-4011 [Print] United States
• PMID: 32923154 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers
• Calreticulin

Topics

• Biomarkers
• Calreticulin (genetics)
• Humans
• Mutation
• Myeloproliferative Disorders
• Neoplasms (drug therapy)
• Prognosis