Project description:Low response rate, treatment relapse, and resistance remain key challenges for cancer treatment with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Here we report that loss of specific tumor suppressors (TS) induces an inflammatory response and promotes an immune suppressive tumor microenvironment. Importantly, low expression of these TSs is associated with a higher expression of immune checkpoint inhibitory mediators. Here we identify, by using in vivo CRISPR/Cas9 based loss-of-function screening, that NF1, TSC1, and TGF-β RII as TSs regulating immune composition. Loss of each of these three TSs leads to alterations in chromatin accessibility and enhances IL6-JAK3-STAT3/6 inflammatory pathways. This results in an immune suppressive landscape, characterized by increased numbers of LAG3+ CD8 and CD4 T cells. ICB targeting LAG3 and PD-L1 simultaneously inhibits metastatic progression in preclinical triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) mouse models of NF1-, TSC1- or TGF-β RII- deficient tumors. Our study thus reveals a role of TSs in regulating metastasis via non-cell-autonomous modulation of the immune compartment and provides proof-of-principle for ICB targeting LAG3 for patients with NF1-, TSC1- or TGF-β RII-inactivated cancers.
Project description:Low response rate, treatment relapse, and resistance remain key challenges in the application of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Here we report that loss of specific tumor suppressors (TSs) induces an inflammatory response and promotes an immune suppressive tumor microenvironment. Importantly, low expression of these TSs is associated with a higher expression of immune checkpoint inhibitory mediators. Using CRIPSR/Cas9 in vivo loss-of-function screening, we identified NF1, TSC1, and TGF-b RII as TSs that regulate immune composition. Loss of each of these three TSs leads to alterations in chromatin accessibility and enhances IL6-JAK3-STAT3/6 inflammatory pathways. This results in an immune suppressive landscape characterized by increased LAG3+ CD8 and CD4 T cells. ICB targeting LAG3 in combination with PD-L1 decreased metastatic progression in preclinical triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) mouse models of NF1-, TSC1- or TGF-b RII- deficient tumors. Together, our studies identify LAG3 as a new ICB target for patients whose cancer displays inactivation of these TSs. In addition, our studies reveal an unexpected role for TSs in the regulation of metastatic spread via non-cell-autonomous modulation of the immune compartment.
Project description:Low response rate, treatment relapse, and resistance remain key challenges in the application of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Here we report that loss of specific tumor suppressors (TSs) induces an inflammatory response and promotes an immune suppressive tumor microenvironment. Importantly, low expression of these TSs is associated with a higher expression of immune checkpoint inhibitory mediators. Using CRIPSR/Cas9 in vivo loss-of-function screening, we identified NF1, TSC1, and TGF-b RII as TSs that regulate immune composition. Loss of each of these three TSs leads to alterations in chromatin accessibility and enhances IL6-JAK3-STAT3/6 inflammatory pathways. This results in an immune suppressive landscape characterized by increased LAG3+ CD8 and CD4 T cells. ICB targeting LAG3 in combination with PD-L1 decreased metastatic progression in preclinical triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) mouse models of NF1-, TSC1- or TGF-b RII- deficient tumors. Together, our studies identify LAG3 as a new ICB target for patients whose cancer displays inactivation of these TSs. In addition, our studies reveal an unexpected role for TSs in the regulation of metastatic spread via non-cell-autonomous modulation of the immune compartment.
Project description:Low response rate, treatment relapse, and resistance remain key challenges in the application of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Here we report that loss of specific tumor suppressors (TSs) induces an inflammatory response and promotes an immune suppressive tumor microenvironment. Importantly, low expression of these TSs is associated with a higher expression of immune checkpoint inhibitory mediators. Using CRIPSR/Cas9 in vivo loss-of-function screening, we identified NF1, TSC1, and TGF-b RII as TSs that regulate immune composition. Loss of each of these three TSs leads to alterations in chromatin accessibility and enhances IL6-JAK3-STAT3/6 inflammatory pathways. This results in an immune suppressive landscape characterized by increased LAG3+ CD8 and CD4 T cells. ICB targeting LAG3 in combination with PD-L1 decreased metastatic progression in preclinical triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) mouse models of NF1-, TSC1- or TGF-b RII- deficient tumors. Together, our studies identify LAG3 as a new ICB target for patients whose cancer displays inactivation of these TSs. In addition, our studies reveal an unexpected role for TSs in the regulation of metastatic spread via non-cell-autonomous modulation of the immune compartment.
Project description:The p53 tumor suppressor can restrict malignant transformation by triggering cell-autonomous programs of cell-cycle arrest or apoptosis. p53 also promotes cellular senescence, a tumor-suppressive program that involves stable cell-cycle arrest and secretion of factors that modify the tissue microenvironment. In the presence of chronic liver damage, we show that ablation of a p53-dependent senescence program in hepatic stellate cells increases liver fibrosis and cirrhosis associated with reduced survival and enhances the transformation of adjacent epithelial cells into hepatocellular carcinoma. p53-expressing senescent stellate cells release factors that skew macrophage polarization toward a tumor-inhibiting M1-state capable of attacking senescent cells in culture, whereas proliferating p53-deficient stellate cells secrete factors that stimulate polarization of macrophages into a tumor-promoting M2-state and enhance the proliferation of premalignant cells. Hence, p53 can act non-cell autonomously to suppress tumorigenesis by promoting an antitumor microenvironment, in part, through secreted factors that modulate macrophage function.
Project description:Critical immune-suppressive pathways beyond programmed death 1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) require greater attention. Nectins and nectin-like molecules might be promising targets for immunotherapy, since they play critical roles in cell proliferation and migration and exert immunomodulatory functions in pathophysiological conditions. Here, we show CD155 expression in both malignant cells and tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells in humans and mice. Cd155-/- mice displayed reduced tumor growth and metastasis via DNAM-1 upregulation and enhanced effector function of CD8+ T and NK cells, respectively. CD155-deleted tumor cells also displayed slower tumor growth and reduced metastases, demonstrating the importance of a tumor-intrinsic role of CD155. CD155 absence on host and tumor cells exerted an even greater inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis. Blockade of PD-1 or both PD-1 and CTLA4 was more effective in settings in which CD155 was limiting, suggesting the clinical potential of cotargeting PD-L1 and CD155 function.