Fascin inhibitor increases intratumoral dendritic cell activation and anti-cancer immunity.

ABSTRACT: Fascin protein is the main actin-bundling protein in filopodia and invadopodia, which are critical for tumor cell migration, invasion, and metastasis. Small-molecule fascin inhibitors block tumor invasion and metastasis and increase the overall survival of tumor-bearing mice. Here, we report a finding that fascin blockade additionally reinvigorates anti-tumor immune response in syngeneic mouse models of various cancers. Fascin protein levels are increased in conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) in the tumor microenvironment. Mechanistically, fascin inhibitor NP-G2-044 increases the number of intratumoral-activated cDCs and enhances the antigen uptake by cDCs. Furthermore, together with PD-1 blocking antibody, NP-G2-044 markedly increases the number of activated CD8⁺ T cells in th

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8050791 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature