Dataset Information

MUC16 provides immune protection by inhibiting synapse formation between NK and ovarian tumor cells.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cancer cells utilize a variety of mechanisms to evade immune detection and attack. Effective immune detection largely relies on the formation of an immune synapse which requires close contact between immune cells and their targets. Here, we show that MUC16, a heavily glycosylated 3-5 million Da mucin expressed on the surface of ovarian tumor cells, inhibits the formation of immune synapses between NK cells and ovarian tumor targets. Our results indicate that MUC16-mediated inhibition of immune synapse formation is an effective mechanism employed by ovarian tumors to evade immune recognition.

Results

Expression of low levels of MUC16 strongly correlated with an increased number of conjugates and activating immune synapses between ovarian tumor cells and primary naïve NK cells. MUC16-knockdown ovarian tumor cells were more susceptible to lysis by primary NK cells than MUC16 expressing controls. This increased lysis was not due to differences in the expression levels of the ligands for the activating receptors DNAM-1 and NKG2D. The NK cell leukemia cell line (NKL), which does not express KIRs but are positive for DNAM-1 and NKG2D, also conjugated and lysed MUC16-knockdown cells more efficiently than MUC16 expressing controls. Tumor cells that survived the NKL challenge expressed higher levels of MUC16 indicating selective lysis of MUC16(low) targets. The higher csMUC16 levels on the NKL resistant tumor cells correlated with more protection from lysis as compared to target cells that were never exposed to the effectors.

Conclusion

MUC16, a carrier of the tumor marker CA125, has previously been shown to facilitate ovarian tumor metastasis and inhibits NK cell mediated lysis of tumor targets. Our data now demonstrates that MUC16 expressing ovarian cancer cells are protected from recognition by NK cells. The immune protection provided by MUC16 may lead to selective survival of ovarian cancer cells that are more efficient in metastasizing within the peritoneal cavity and also at overcoming anti-tumor innate immune responses.

SUBMITTER: Gubbels JA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2818693 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

MUC16 provides immune protection by inhibiting synapse formation between NK and ovarian tumor cells.

Gubbels Jennifer A A JA Felder Mildred M Horibata Sachi S Belisle Jennifer A JA Kapur Arvinder A Holden Helen H Petrie Sarah S Migneault Martine M Rancourt Claudine C Connor Joseph P JP Patankar Manish S MS

Molecular cancer 20100120

<h4>Background</h4>Cancer cells utilize a variety of mechanisms to evade immune detection and attack. Effective immune detection largely relies on the formation of an immune synapse which requires close contact between immune cells and their targets. Here, we show that MUC16, a heavily glycosylated 3-5 million Da mucin expressed on the surface of ovarian tumor cells, inhibits the formation of immune synapses between NK cells and ovarian tumor targets. Our results indicate that MUC16-mediated inh ...[more]

PMID: 20089172

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Project description:T lymphocyte recognition of antigenic peptides on the surface of antigen-presenting cells (APC) leads to immune synapse formation (IS). By analogy with the nervous synapse, this cell-cell communication model requires the formation of highly organized structures that delimit an active zone of membrane traffic. For T cells to connect antigen recognition with the biological response, receptors and signaling proteins must be recycled. Sorting nexin 27 (SNX27) is an endosomal protein best known for its role in recycling PDZ (PSD95, Dlg1, ZO-1)-interacting neuronal proteins via the retromer transport machinery. Alteration of this sorting pathway leads to neurodegeneration and is associated to Down syndrome, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. In T lymphocytes, SNX27 interacts with diacylglycerol kinase zeta (DGKz), which provides a mechanistic link between diacylglycerol metabolism and membrane trafficking. Following antigen recognition, SNX27-positive endosomes polarize to the IS and a PDZ-dependent SNX27 pool accumulates at the cell-cell contact area. To test for additional SNX27 functions, we carried out proteomic analysis of the SNX27 interactome purified from T cells in contact with APC, and identified SNX27 interaction with the retromer and with members of the WASH (Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein and SCAR homologue) complex. This finding indicates the conserved nature of the SNX27/WASH/retromer complex in hematopoietic cells and suggests similarity between neurological diseases and abnormal immune/inflammatory responses. We also found PDZ-dependent SNX27 cargoes, including modulators of cytoskeletal reorganization such as zona occludens-2 (ZO-2). ZO-2, a cytosolic component of epithelial cell-cell junctions, localized to the IS, and SNX27 silencing affected ZO-2 stability at the synapse. This study broadens our knowledge of SNX27 function in T lymphocytes, and suggests that pathways that delimit polarized structures in epithelial systems also participate in IS regulation.

Dataset Information

MUC16 provides immune protection by inhibiting synapse formation between NK and ovarian tumor cells.

Background

Results

Conclusion

Publications

MUC16 provides immune protection by inhibiting synapse formation between NK and ovarian tumor cells.

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