Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
The pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) microenvironment is highly fibrotic and hypoxic, with poor immune cell infiltration. Recently, we showed that nucleolin (NCL) inhibition normalizes tumour vessels and impairs PDAC growth.Methods
Immunocompetent mouse models of PDAC were treated by the pseudopeptide N6L, which selectively inhibits NCL. Tumour-infiltrating immune cells and changes in the tumour microenvironment were analysed.Results
N6L reduced the proportion of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and increased tumour-infiltrated T lymphocytes (TILs) with an activated phenotype. Low-dose anti-VEGFR2 treatment normalized PDAC vessels but did not modulate the immune suppressive microenvironment. RNAseq analysis of N6L-treated PDAC tumours revealed a reduction of cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) expansion in vivo and in vitro. Notably, N6L treatment decreased IL-6 levels both in tumour tissues and in serum. Treating mPDAC by an antibody blocking IL-6 reduced the proportion of Tregs and MDSCs and increased the amount of TILs, thus mimicking the effects of N6L.Conclusions
These results demonstrate that NCL inhibition blocks the amplification of lymphoid and myeloid immunosuppressive cells and promotes T cell activation in PDAC through a new mechanism of action dependent on the direct inhibition of the tumoral stroma.
SUBMITTER: Ponzo M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9454580 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Ponzo Matteo M Debesset Anais A Cossutta Mélissande M Chalabi-Dchar Mounira M Houppe Claire C Pilon Caroline C Nicolas-Boluda Alba A Meunier Sylvain S Raineri Fabio F Thiolat Allan A Nicolle Rémy R Maione Federica F Brundu Serena S Cojocaru Carina Florina CF Bouvet Philippe P Bousquet Corinne C Gazeau Florence F Tournigand Christophe C Courty José J Giraudo Enrico E Cohen José L JL Cascone Ilaria I
Cancers 20220831 17
Background: The pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) microenvironment is highly fibrotic and hypoxic, with poor immune cell infiltration. Recently, we showed that nucleolin (NCL) inhibition normalizes tumour vessels and impairs PDAC growth. Methods: Immunocompetent mouse models of PDAC were treated by the pseudopeptide N6L, which selectively inhibits NCL. Tumour-infiltrating immune cells and changes in the tumour microenvironment were analysed. Results: N6L reduced the proportion of regulator ...[more]