Project description:Mutations in STK11/LKB1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are associated with poor patient responses to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and introduction of a Stk11/Lkb1 (L) mutation into murine lung adenocarcinomas driven by mutant Kras and Trp53 loss (KP) resulted in an ICB refractory syngeneic KPL tumor. Mechanistically this occurred because KPL mutant NSCLCs lacked TCF1-expressing CD8 T cells, a phenotype recapitulated in human STK11/LKB1 mutant NSCLCs. Systemic inhibition of Axl results in increased type I interferon secretion from dendritic cells that expanded tumor-associated TCF1+ PD-1+ CD8 T cells, restoring therapeutic response to PD-1 ICB for KPL tumors. This was observed in syngeneic immunocompetent mouse models and in humanized mice bearing STK11/LKB1 mutant NSCLC human tumor xenografts. NSCLC patients with identified STK11/LKB1 mutations receiving bemcentinib and pembrolizumab demonstrated objective clinical response to combination therapy. We conclude that AXL is a critical targetable driver of immune suppression in STK11/LKB1 mutant NSCLC.
Project description:Pancreatic cancer is a digestive system malignancy and poses a high mortality worldwide. Traditionally, neutrophils have been thought to play a role in acute inflammation. In contrast, their importance during tumor diseases has been less well studied. Generally, neutrophils are recruited into the tumor microenvironment and exert inflammation and tumor-promoting effects. As an essential part of the tumor microenvironment, neutrophils play diverse roles in pancreatic cancer, such as angiogenesis, progression, metastasis and immunosuppression. Additionally, neutrophils can be a new potential therapeutic target in cancer. Inhibitors of cytokines, chemokines and neutrophil extracellular traps can exert antitumor effects. In this review, we describe the role of neutrophils in the development and progression of pancreatic cancer, discuss their potential as therapeutic targets, and aim to provide ideas for improving the prognosis of patients with this malignant tumor disease.
Project description:AbstractPancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive malignancies. The poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients is mainly attributed to low diagnostic rate at the early stage, highly aggressive nature coupled with the inadequate efficacy of current chemotherapeutic regimens. Novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed for pancreatic cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important regulatory role in key processes of cancer development. The aberrant expression of miRNAs is often involved in the initiation, progression, and metastasis of pancreatic cancer. The discovery of tumor suppressor miRNAs provides prospects for the development of a novel treatment strategy for pancreatic cancer. We reviewed recent progress on the understanding of the role of miRNAs in pancreatic cancer, highlighted the efficient application of miRNAs-based therapies for pancreatic cancer in animal models and clinical trials, and proposed future prospects. This review focuses on the promise of integrating miRNAs into the treatment of pancreatic cancer and provides guidance for the development of precision medicine for pancreatic cancer.
Project description:We performed RNA-sequencing of mouse cells derived from colony forming assays (CFA) to evaluate the transcriptome of MPN cells with deletion of the tumor suppressor STK11/LKB1 and relative controls. The CFA are from mouse primary floxed STK11 hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) transduced with retroviruses encoding the MPN mutation MPLW515L and CRE recombinase to delete STK11.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of BL/6 mice harboring a mutant Kras allele, with or without knockouts of Stk11 and/or Keap1, or with expression of an Nfe2l2 transgene, Nrf2Tg. In lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), stabilization of the transcription factor NRF2 through genomic alterations in KEAP1 and NFE2L2 occurs in roughly a quarter of patients, often in the context of STK11 tumor suppressor loss. In this study, we demonstrate that NRF2 activation in the context of concurrent KRAS mutation and STK11 loss promotes aggressive LUAD tumor behavior in both human and mouse preclinical models. This phenotype is associated with metabolic rewiring and rescue by NRF2 of redox stress, high in STK11 null tumors. Applying a novel, pan-lung cancer, diagnostic NRF2 activation gene expression signature that is independent of frequently co-occurring mutations, we dissect the independent contributions of the three most frequent genetic events in human LUAD (NRF2 activation, STK11 loss and KRAS mutations) on patient prognosis and clinical responses in a dataset of second-line LUAD patients treated with immunotherapy or chemotherapy (OAK trial). Our findings underscore that both individual effects and epistatic relationships among oncogenic and tumor suppressor pathways influence tumor biology, immune contexture and patient clinical outcomes. Our work also highlights the value of lung cancer disease sub-classification based on genetic and expression profiling as part of patient clinical management.
Project description:The transforming growth factor (TGF)-β superfamily has important physiologic roles and is dysregulated in many pathologic processes, including pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancer diagnoses, and current therapies are largely ineffective due to tumor resistance and late-stage diagnosis with poor prognosis. Recent efforts are focused on the potential of immunotherapies in improving therapeutic results for patients with pancreatic cancer, among which TGF-β has been identified as a promising target. This review focuses on the role of TGF-β in the diseased pancreas and pancreatic cancer. It also aims to summarize the current status of therapies targeting the TGF-β superfamily and postulate potential future directions in targeting the TGF-β signaling pathways.
Project description:HCC515 lung cells with dox-inducible KEAP1 knockdown and/or STK11 re-addition, under two different metabolic stress conditions, baseline vs. suspension, were transcriptionally profiled to investigate whether KEAP1 knockdown can rescue metabolic defects in STK11-null cancer cells and how the regulation of the transcriptome by KEAP1 knockdown is affected by STK11 status and different metabolic stress conditions. In lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), stabilization of the transcription factor NRF2 through genomic alterations in KEAP1 and NFE2L2 occurs in roughly a quarter of patients, often in the context of STK11 tumor suppressor loss. In this study, we demonstrate that NRF2 activation in the context of concurrent KRAS mutation and STK11 loss promotes aggressive LUAD tumor behavior in both human and mouse preclinical models. This phenotype is associated with metabolic rewiring and rescue by NRF2 of redox stress, high in STK11 null tumors. Applying a novel, pan-lung cancer, diagnostic NRF2 activation gene expression signature that is independent of frequently co-occurring mutations, we dissect the independent contributions of the three most frequent genetic events in human LUAD (NRF2 activation, STK11 loss and KRAS mutations) on patient prognosis and clinical responses in a dataset of second-line LUAD patients treated with immunotherapy or chemotherapy (OAK trial). Our findings underscore that both individual effects and epistatic relationships among oncogenic and tumor suppressor pathways influence tumor biology, immune contexture and patient clinical outcomes. Our work also highlights the value of lung cancer disease sub-classification based on genetic and expression profiling as part of patient clinical management.