Oncogenic KRAS-dependent stromal interleukin-33 directs the pancreatic microenvironment to promote tumor growth [scRNA-seq]
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ABSTRACT: Here, we sought to understand the function of stromal interleukin-33 (IL-33) in PanIN and PDA. We collected pancreatic tissues from various mouse models of PanIN and PDA for single cell RNA sequencing to assess IL-33 expression across the microenviornment. We also implanted syngeneic orthotopic pancreatic tumors into mice harboring a conditional stromal IL-33 knockout and sequenced the resulting tumors.
Project description:This experiment was designed to investigate the intrinsic effect of interleukin-33 (IL-33) on pancreatic cancer associated fibroblasts. IL-33 wildtype (WT) or IL-33 knockout (KO) fibroblasts were grown with or without tumor conditioned media to stimulate cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) polarization and harvested for bulk RNA sequencing.
Project description:Tumor epithelial cells develop within a microenvironment consisting of extracellular matrix, growth factors, and cytokines produced by non-epithelial stromal cells. In response to paracrine signals from tumor epithelia, stromal cells modify the microenvironment to promote tumor growth and metastasis. Here, we identify interleukin (IL)-33 as an epithelial cell-derived regulator of stromal cell activation and mediator of intestinal polyposis. IL-33 expression was elevated in the tumors and serum of colorectal cancer patients and induced in the adenomatous polyps of ApcMin/+ mutant mice. Genetic and antibody suppression of IL-33 signaling in ApcMin/+ mice inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis, and suppressed angiogenesis in polyps, which reduced both tumor number and size. In ApcMin/+ polyps, IL-33 expression localized to tumor epithelial cells and expression of the IL-33 receptor, IL1RL1, associated with two stromal cell types, namely subepithelial myofibroblasts (SEMFs) and mast cells, whose activation was previously associated with polyposis. In vitro IL-33 stimulation of human SEMFs induced the expression of extracellular matrix components and growth factors associated with intestinal tumor progression. IL-33 deficiency reduced mast cell accumulation in ApcMin/+ polyps and expression of mast cell-derived proteases and cytokines known to promote polyposis. Together, our results suggest that IL-33 is a tumor epithelial cell-derived paracrine signal that promotes polyposis through the coordinated activation of stromal cells and the formation of a reactive stroma microenvironment. Six T-75 flasks of CCD-18Co cells were grown to 80% confluency; three were treated with rhIL-33, three were given vehicle control; cells were trypsinized and split in two--half of each flask used for sequencing and half for qPCR validation post-sequencing
Project description:Tumor epithelial cells develop within a microenvironment consisting of extracellular matrix, growth factors, and cytokines produced by non-epithelial stromal cells. In response to paracrine signals from tumor epithelia, stromal cells modify the microenvironment to promote tumor growth and metastasis. Here, we identify interleukin (IL)-33 as an epithelial cell-derived regulator of stromal cell activation and mediator of intestinal polyposis. IL-33 expression was elevated in the tumors and serum of colorectal cancer patients and induced in the adenomatous polyps of ApcMin/+ mutant mice. Genetic and antibody suppression of IL-33 signaling in ApcMin/+ mice inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis, and suppressed angiogenesis in polyps, which reduced both tumor number and size. In ApcMin/+ polyps, IL-33 expression localized to tumor epithelial cells and expression of the IL-33 receptor, IL1RL1, associated with two stromal cell types, namely subepithelial myofibroblasts (SEMFs) and mast cells, whose activation was previously associated with polyposis. In vitro IL-33 stimulation of human SEMFs induced the expression of extracellular matrix components and growth factors associated with intestinal tumor progression. IL-33 deficiency reduced mast cell accumulation in ApcMin/+ polyps and expression of mast cell-derived proteases and cytokines known to promote polyposis. Together, our results suggest that IL-33 is a tumor epithelial cell-derived paracrine signal that promotes polyposis through the coordinated activation of stromal cells and the formation of a reactive stroma microenvironment.
Project description:Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDA) develops predominantly through pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) precursor lesions. Pancreatic acinar cells are reprogrammed to a “ductal like” state during PanIN-PDA formation. Here, we demonstrate a parallel mechanism operative in mature duct cells where they undergo “ductal retrogression” to form IPMN-PDA. Brg1, a catalytic subunit of the SWI/SNF complexes, plays a critical antagonistic role in IPMN-PDA development. In mature duct cells Brg1 inhibits the dedifferentiation that precedes neoplastic transformation, thus attenuating tumor initiation. In contrast, Brg1 promotes tumorigenesis in full-blown PDA by supporting a mesenchymal-like transcriptional landscape. We have exploited this duality of Brg1 functions to develop a novel therapeutic approach using an epigenetic drug JQ1. In summary, this study demonstrates the context-dependent roles of Brg1 and points to potential therapeutic treatment options based on epigenetic regulation in PDA. Duct cells were isolated from mice of 3 different genotypes and duct cells from 3 mice of each genotype were sequenced. For the put back experiments, control retrovirus and that expressing Brg1 were transdcued in Brg1 null IPMN mouse cell line.
Project description:Brahma related gene 1 (BRG1), a catalytic ATPase subunit of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes, is silenced in approximately 10% of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDA). We previously showed that BRG1 inhibits the formation of intraductal pancreatic mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) and IPMN-derived PDA from ductal cells. However, the role of BRG1 in pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) from acinar cells remains elusive. Here, we investigated the role of BRG1 in PanIN initiation and maintenance and its underlying mechanisms. Exclusive elimination of Brg1 in acinar cells of Ptf1a-CreER; KrasG12D; Brg1f/f (KBC) mice impaired the formation of acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM) and PanIN independent of the presence of p53 mutation. We found that Sox9 expression was down-regulated in both Brg1-depleted acinar cell explants and BRG1-depleted ADMs/PanINs. Sox9 overexpression rescued this PanIN-attenuated phenotype in KBC mice. Furthermore, Brg1-deletion in established PanIN by using an inducible dual recombinase system resulted in regression of the lesions in mice. Finally, expression of BRG1 and SOX9 was also positively correlated in human PanIN-derived PDAs. In summary, BRG1 is critical for both initiation and maintenance of PanIN. Mechanistically, this is mediated through positive regulation of SOX9 expression. Thus, the BRG1/SOX9 axis is a potential target for the prevention of PanIN-derived PDA.
Project description:Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDA) develops predominantly through pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) precursor lesions. Pancreatic acinar cells are reprogrammed to a “ductal like” state during PanIN-PDA formation. Here, we demonstrate a parallel mechanism operative in mature duct cells where they undergo “ductal retrogression” to form IPMN-PDA. Brg1, a catalytic subunit of the SWI/SNF complexes, plays a critical antagonistic role in IPMN-PDA development. In mature duct cells Brg1 inhibits the dedifferentiation that precedes neoplastic transformation, thus attenuating tumor initiation. In contrast, Brg1 promotes tumorigenesis in full-blown PDA by supporting a mesenchymal-like transcriptional landscape. We have exploited this duality of Brg1 functions to develop a novel therapeutic approach using an epigenetic drug JQ1. In summary, this study demonstrates the context-dependent roles of Brg1 and points to potential therapeutic treatment options based on epigenetic regulation in PDA.
Project description:Resistance to DNA damage is one of the primary mechanisms by which tumor cells evade the effects of standard chemotherapeutic agents and radiotherapy. Dynamic and complex interactions between the tumor microenvironment (TME) and tumor cells critically influence the DNA damage response. Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is a multifunctional cytokine secreted at high levels in response to cellular damage and stress. Recently, increasing evidence has suggested that IL-33 plays a key role in promoting the therapeutic resistance of tumors. However, the actual source of IL-33 during cancer therapy and how IL-33 contributes to a resistant TME remain incompletely understood. In this study, we found that both cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and tumor cells treated with DNA damage-inducing agents expressed and secreted high levels of IL-33, subsequently leading to enhanced DNA damage repair efficacy. Mechanistically, nuclear IL-33 primarily functions as a transcriptional co-activator of homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes, whereas the active form of IL-33 can drive the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway via the canonical IL-33/ST2 axis. Overall, we demonstrated that IL-33 plays a key role in mediating a DNA damage-resistant TME, which could represent a potential therapeutic vulnerability in chemoresistant cancer cells
Project description:In order to further understand how glioma-derived IL-33 is orchestrating changes within the tumor microenvironment and based on the significant increase of anti-inflammatory mediators including a number of signaling molecules observed in IL-33+ tumors, we performed phospho-proteomic analysis using mass spectrometry on the brains of tumor-bearing mice.
Project description:Interleukin-33 (IL-33), a member of the IL-1 superfamily cytokines, is an endogenous danger signal and a nuclear-associated cytokine. It is one of the essential mediators of both innate and adaptive immune responses. Aberrant IL-33 signaling has been demonstrated to play a defensive role against various infectious and inflammatory diseases. Although the signaling responses mediated by IL-33 have been previously reported, the temporal signalingdynamicsare yet to be explored. Towards this end,we applied quantitative temporal phosphoproteomics analysis to elucidate pathways and proteins induced by IL-33 in THP1 monocytes. Employing TMT labeling-based quantitation and titanium dioxide (TiO2)-based phosphopeptide enrichment strategy followed by mass spectrometry analysis, we identified 14,515 phosphorylation sites mapping to 4,174 proteins across (0 min to 240 mins)time points.
Project description:Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is a novel member of the IL-1 family of cytokines that plays diverse roles in the regulation of immune responses. IL-33 exerts its effects by binding to a heterodimeric receptor complex consisting of interleukin-1 receptor like 1 (IL1RL1) and an accessory receptor protein IL-1RAcP resulting in the production and release of proinflammatory cytokines. A detailed understanding of the signaling pathways activated by IL-33 remains elusive. To elucidate IL-33 mediated signaling, we performed a global quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis using stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture. Employing anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies and titanium dioxide-based enrichment strategies, we identified 6,207 phosphorylation sites mapping to 2,013 phosphoproteins of which more than 185 phosphosites are regulated by IL-33 stimulation. Our findings will greatly expand the understanding of IL-33 signaling and provide novel therapeutic targets for IL-33/IL-33R-associated diseases in humans.