This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Data Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hussain, S. F. Articles by Heimberger, A. B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hussain, S. F. Articles by Heimberger, A. B.

A Novel Small Molecule Inhibitor of Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription 3 Reverses Immune Tolerance in Malignant Glioma Patients

Departments of ¹ Neurosurgery, ² Neuro-oncology, and ³ Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas

Requests for reprints: Amy B. Heimberger, Department of Neurosurgery, Unit 442, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030. Phone: 713-792-2400; Fax: 713-794-4950; E-mail: aheimber{at}mdanderson.org and Waldemar Priebe, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Unit 422, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston TX 77030; E-mail: wpreibe{at}mdanderson.org.

Overcoming the profound immunosuppression in patients with solid cancers has impeded efficacious immunotherapy. Signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) has recently emerged as a potential target for effective immunotherapy, and in this study, we describe a novel small molecule inhibitor of STAT3 that can penetrate the central nervous system (CNS) in mice and in physiologically relevant doses in vitro and reverse tolerance in immune cells isolated from glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients. Specifically, it induces the expression of costimulatory molecules on peripheral macrophages and tumor-infiltrating microglia, stimulates the production of the immune-stimulatory cytokines interleukin 2 (IL-2), IL-4, IL-12, and IL-15, and induces proliferation of effector T cells from GBM patients that are refractory to CD3 stimulation. We show that the functional enhancement of immune responses after STAT3 inhibition is accompanied by up-regulation of several key intracellular signaling molecules that critically regulate T-cell and monocyte activation. Specifically, the phosphorylation of Syk (Tyr³⁵²) in monocytes and ZAP-70 (Tyr³¹⁹) in T cells are enhanced by the STAT-3 inhibitor in marked contrast to toll-like receptor and T-cell receptor agonists, respectively. This novel small molecule STAT3 inhibitor has tremendous potential for clinical applications with its penetration into the CNS, easy parental administration, direct tumor cytotoxicity, and potent immune adjuvant responses in immunosuppressed cancer patients. [Cancer Res 2007;67(20):9630–6]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Fujita, X. Zhu, K. Sasaki, R. Ueda, K. L. Low, I. F. Pollack, and H. Okada Inhibition of STAT3 Promotes the Efficacy of Adoptive Transfer Therapy Using Type-1 CTLs by Modulation of the Immunological Microenvironment in a Murine Intracranial Glioma J. Immunol., February 15, 2008; 180(4): 2089 - 2098. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]