Project description:Proteome analysis reveals that the tumor suppressor kinase DAPK3 drives tumor-intrinsic immunity through the STING-IFNb pathway Proteome
Project description:Ionizing radiation promotes cytosolic DNA sensing and consequent antitumor immune responses. But how tumor cell-intrinsic cytosolic DNA sensing is initiated by radiation remains poorly defined. Here, we demonstrated that STING-mediated type I interferon production in tumor cells after radiation relied on the engagement of MLKL-mediated necroptosis, which was elicited by the ZBP1-RIPK3 signaling axis. Physiologically, tumor cell-intrinsic ZBP1-MLKL cascade augmented antitumor immune responses after radiation largely by regulating STING signaling. Mechanistically, ZBP1-MLKL-dependent necroptosis maintained the enrichment of mitochondria DNA inside the cytosol of tumor cells after radiation in a cell-density dependent fashion, contributing to type I interferon responses. In contrast, ablation of caspase-8 unleashed ZBP1-MLKL cascade to gain enhanced cytosolic DNA sensing, and in turn potentiated therapeutic effects of radiation. Thus, our findings uncover an unanticipated mechanism that ZBP1-MLKL-dependent necroptosis drives cytosolic DNA sensing-mediated antitumor immunity after radiation, and provide new strategy to improve radiotherapy by inhibiting caspase-8 cascade.
Project description:Given that TREX1-deficient tumor cells showed a growth delay in immunocompetent but not immunodeficient hosts, we characterize the consequences of CT26 tumor-intrinsic TREX1 loss on the host immune system by performing single-cell RNA sequencing on intra-tumoral immune cells sorted from control and TREX1 KO CT26 tumors.
Project description:PARP inhibitors (PARPi) have drastically changed the treatment landscape of advanced ovarian tumors with BRCA mutations. However, the impact of this class of inhibitors in patients with advanced BRCA-mutant breast cancer is relatively modest. Using a syngeneic genetically-engineered mouse model of breast tumor driven by Brca1 deficiency, we show that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) blunt PARPi efficacy both in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, BRCA1-deficient breast tumor cells induce pro-tumor polarization of TAMs, which in turn suppress PARPi-elicited DNA damage in tumor cells, leading to reduced production of dsDNA fragments and synthetic lethality, hence impairing STING-dependent anti-tumor immunity. STING agonists reprogram M2-like pro-tumor macrophages into an M1-like anti-tumor state in a macrophage STING-dependent manner. Systemic administration of a STING agonist breaches multiple layers of tumor cell-mediated suppression of immune cells, and synergizes with PARPi to suppress tumor growth. The therapeutic benefits of this combination require host STING and are mediated by a type I IFN response and CD8+ T cells, but do not rely on tumor cell-intrinsic STING. Our data illustrate the importance of targeting innate immune suppression to facilitate PARPi-mediated engagement of anti-tumor immunity in breast cancer.
Project description:Chronic activation of inflammatory pathways and suppressed interferon are hallmarks of immunosuppressive tumors. Previous studies have shown that CD11b integrin agonists could enhance anti-tumor immunity through myeloid reprograming, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Herein we find that CD11b agonists alter tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) phenotypes by repressing NF-κB signaling and activating interferon gene expression simultaneously. Repression of NF-κB signaling involves degradation of p65 protein and is context independent. In contrast, CD11b agonism induces STING/STAT1 pathway-mediated interferon gene expression through FAK-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction, with the magnitude of induction dependent on the tumor microenvironment and amplified by cytotoxic therapies. Using tissues from phase I clinical studies, we demonstrate that GB1275 treatment activates STING and STAT1 signaling in TAMs in human tumors. These findings suggest potential mechanism-based therapeutic strategies for CD11b agonists and identify patient populations more likely to benefit.
Project description:Chronic stimulation of innate immune pathways by microbial agents or damaged tissue is known to promote inflammation-driven tumorigenesis by unclarified mechanisms1-3. Here we demonstrate that mutagenic 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA), etoposide or cisplatin induces nuclear DNA leakage into the cytosol to intrinsically activate STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) dependent cytokine production. Inflammatory cytokine levels were subsequently augmented in a STING-dependent extrinsic manner by infiltrating phagocytes purging dying cells. Consequently, STING-/- mice, or wild type mice adoptively transferred with STING-/- bone marrow, were almost completely resistant to DMBA-induced skin carcinogenesis compared to their wild type counterparts. Our data emphasizes, for the first time, a role for STING in the induction of cancer, sheds significant insight into the causes of inflammation-driven carcinogenesis, and may provide therapeutic strategies to help prevent malignant disease Total RNA obtained from DMBA or acetone treated wild type (WT) or STING deficient (SKO) mouse skin or skin tumor was examined for gene expression.
Project description:Type I interferon (IFN) response is the most recognized signaling activity of STING, and IFN signaling is commonly believed to be the major (if not the sole) contributor to STING-mediated anti-viral and anti-cancer responses. Here, we genetically mutated mouse Sting serine 365 residue that is critically required for initiating IFN signaling. Sting-S365A mutation in mice precisely ablated IFN-dependent while preserving IFN-independent activities of STING. To our surprise, StingS365A/S365A mice protected against HSV-1 infection remarkably well, similar to wild type mice, while Sting–/– mice succumbed to infection very quickly. This challenges the current prevailing view and suggests that STING controls HSV-1 infection through IFN-independent activities. Transcriptomic analysis of wild type, Sting–/– and StingS365A/S365A macrophages and T cells stimulated with Sting agonist DMXAA revealed widespread IFN-independent activities of STING in both cell types and identified many T cell effector functions that are activated by STING independently of IFN. In mouse tumor models, we found that T cells in the tumor experience substantial cell death that was in part mediated by STING. Adoptively transferred Sting–/– T cells were more resistant to cell death in the tumor leading to more effective tumor control compared to wild type and StingS365A/S365A T cells. Together, our data demonstrate that mammalian STING possesses widespread IFN-independent activities that are functionally important for restricting Type I interferon (IFN) response is the most recognized signaling activity of STING, and IFN signaling is commonly believed to be the major (if not the sole) contributor to STING-mediated anti-viral and anti-cancer responses. Here, we genetically mutated mouse Sting serine 365 residue that is critically required for initiating IFN signaling. Sting-S365A mutation in mice precisely ablated IFN-dependent while preserving IFN-independent activities of STING. To our surprise, StingS365A/S365A mice protected against HSV-1 infection remarkably well, similar to wild type mice, while Sting–/– mice succumbed to infection very quickly. This challenges the current prevailing view and suggests that STING controls HSV-1 infection through IFN-independent activities. Transcriptomic analysis of wild type, Sting–/– and StingS365A/S365A macrophages and T cells stimulated with Sting agonist DMXAA revealed widespread IFN-independent activities of STING in both cell types and identified many T cell effector functions that are activated by STING independently of IFN. In mouse tumor models, we found that T cells in the tumor experience substantial cell death that was in part mediated by STING. Adoptively transferred Sting–/– T cells were more resistant to cell death in the tumor leading to more effective tumor control compared to wild type and StingS365A/S365A T cells. Together, our data demonstrate that mammalian STING possesses widespread IFN-independent activities that are functionally important for restricting HSV-1 infection, tumor immune evasion and likely also adaptive T cell immunity.
Project description:Understanding MoA of ceralasertib (AZD6738) in driving efficacy through immune regulation via polymorphonuclear-myeloid derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSC) and monocytic-myeloid derived suppressor cells (M-MDSC) on tumour intrinsic pathways (STING/IFN) for AZD6738 driven efficacy. Animals were treated only for 7 days and left for further 7 days without treatment. We compared cells against Vehicle and spleen derived ( naive) as a positive control.
Project description:While mutation-derived neoantigens are well recognized in generating anti-tumor T cell responses, increasing evidences highlight the complex association between tumor mutation burden (TMB) and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). We examined this relationship across nine major cancer types to identify non-TMB determinants of immune responses within the tumor microenvironment. TMB overall correlated poorly with both TILs and exhausted CD8+ T cells (Tex) as an indicator of tumor-specific T cells. Computational clustering analysis performed on 4,510 tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas revealed a group of tumors with abundant Tex but low TMB. In those tumors, we observed significantly higher expression of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling. Dendritic cells, particularly those of BATF3+ lineage, were also found to be essential for accumulation of Tex within tumors. Mechanistically, loss of genomic and cellular integrity, marked by decreased DNA damage repair, defective replication stress response, and increased apoptosis were shown to drive STING activation. These results highlight that TMB alone does not fully predict tumor immune profiles, with STING signaling compensating for low TMB in non-hypermutated tumors to enhance anti-tumor immunity. We further validated these findings using clinical samples via NanoString technology and single cell RNA-seq. Translating these results, STING agonists may benefit patients with non-hypermutated tumors. STING activation may serve as an additional biomarker to predict response to immune checkpoint blockades alongside TMB. Our research also unraveled the interplay between genomic instability and STING activation, informing potential combined chemotherapy targeting the axis of genomic integrity and immunotherapy.