Project description:Peri-neural invasion (PNI) is a well-established poor prognostic factor in multiple cancer types. However, the mechanisms driving the PNI's detrimental clinical effect remain elusive. Here, we provide clinical and mechanistic insights into PNI and cancer-induced injury of tumor-associated nerves (TANs) and their role in resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy. Our work demonstrates that poor response to anti-PD-1 therapy in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), melanoma, and gastric cancer is associated with PNI and TANs injury. Ultrastructural electron microscopy analysis reveals that direct contact between cancer cells and nerve fibers leads to cancer-induced nerve injury (CINI) via myelin degradation. Injured neurons respond by autonomously initiating an interleukin (IL)-6 and interferon (IFN) type I inflammatory response. This inflammatory response alters the immune activity in the peri-neural niche in melanoma, cSCC, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, leading to an immuno-suppressive activity aimed at nerve healing and regeneration. As the tumor grows, the CINI burden increases, the inflammatory signal within the niche becomes chronic, and eventually skews the general immune tone within the tumor microenvironment to a suppressive and exhaustive state. The CINI-driven anti-PD-1 resistance can be reversed by targeting multiple steps in the CINI signaling process: denervating the tumor, conditional knockout of the transcription factor mediating the injury signal within neurons (cKO-Atf3), knockout of the IFN-a receptor signaling (Ifnar1-/-), or by combining anti-PD-1 and anti-IL-6-receptor blockade. Our findings demonstrate the direct immuno-regulatory roles of TANs and their therapeutic potential.
Project description:Peri-neural invasion (PNI) is a well-established poor prognostic factor in multiple cancer types. However, the mechanisms driving the PNI's detrimental clinical effect remain elusive. Here, we provide clinical and mechanistic insights into PNI and cancer-induced injury of tumor-associated nerves (TANs) and their role in resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy. Our work demonstrates that poor response to anti-PD-1 therapy in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), melanoma, and gastric cancer is associated with PNI and TANs injury. Ultrastructural electron microscopy analysis reveals that direct contact between cancer cells and nerve fibers leads to cancer-induced nerve injury (CINI) via myelin degradation. Injured neurons respond by autonomously initiating an interleukin (IL)-6 and interferon (IFN) type I inflammatory response. This inflammatory response alters the immune activity in the peri-neural niche in melanoma, cSCC, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, leading to an immuno-suppressive activity aimed at nerve healing and regeneration. As the tumor grows, the CINI burden increases, the inflammatory signal within the niche becomes chronic, and eventually skews the general immune tone within the tumor microenvironment to a suppressive and exhaustive state. The CINI-driven anti-PD-1 resistance can be reversed by targeting multiple steps in the CINI signaling process: denervating the tumor, conditional knockout of the transcription factor mediating the injury signal within neurons (cKO-Atf3), knockout of the IFN-a receptor signaling (Ifnar1-/-), or by combining anti-PD-1 and anti-IL-6-receptor blockade. Our findings demonstrate the direct immuno-regulatory roles of TANs and their therapeutic potential.
Project description:Peri-neural invasion (PNI) is a well-established poor prognostic factor in multiple cancer types. However, the mechanisms driving the PNI's detrimental clinical effect remain elusive. Here, we provide clinical and mechanistic insights into PNI and cancer-induced injury of tumor-associated nerves (TANs) and their role in resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy. Our work demonstrates that poor response to anti-PD-1 therapy in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), melanoma, and gastric cancer is associated with PNI and TANs injury. Ultrastructural electron microscopy analysis reveals that direct contact between cancer cells and nerve fibers leads to cancer-induced nerve injury (CINI) via myelin degradation. Injured neurons respond by autonomously initiating an interleukin (IL)-6 and interferon (IFN) type I inflammatory response. This inflammatory response alters the immune activity in the peri-neural niche in melanoma, cSCC, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, leading to an immuno-suppressive activity aimed at nerve healing and regeneration. As the tumor grows, the CINI burden increases, the inflammatory signal within the niche becomes chronic, and eventually skews the general immune tone within the tumor microenvironment to a suppressive and exhaustive state. The CINI-driven anti-PD-1 resistance can be reversed by targeting multiple steps in the CINI signaling process: denervating the tumor, conditional knockout of the transcription factor mediating the injury signal within neurons (cKO-Atf3), knockout of the IFN-a receptor signaling (Ifnar1-/-), or by combining anti-PD-1 and anti-IL-6-receptor blockade. Our findings demonstrate the direct immuno-regulatory roles of TANs and their therapeutic potential.
Project description:Peri-neural invasion (PNI) is a well-established poor prognostic factor in multiple cancer types. However, the mechanisms driving the PNI's detrimental clinical effect remain elusive. Here, we provide clinical and mechanistic insights into PNI and cancer-induced injury of tumor-associated nerves (TANs) and their role in resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy. Our work demonstrates that poor response to anti-PD-1 therapy in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), melanoma, and gastric cancer is associated with PNI and TANs injury. Ultrastructural electron microscopy analysis reveals that direct contact between cancer cells and nerve fibers leads to cancer-induced nerve injury (CINI) via myelin degradation. Injured neurons respond by autonomously initiating an interleukin (IL)-6 and interferon (IFN) type I inflammatory response. This inflammatory response alters the immune activity in the peri-neural niche in melanoma, cSCC, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, leading to an immuno-suppressive activity aimed at nerve healing and regeneration. As the tumor grows, the CINI burden increases, the inflammatory signal within the niche becomes chronic, and eventually skews the general immune tone within the tumor microenvironment to a suppressive and exhaustive state. The CINI-driven anti-PD-1 resistance can be reversed by targeting multiple steps in the CINI signaling process: denervating the tumor, conditional knockout of the transcription factor mediating the injury signal within neurons (cKO-Atf3), knockout of the IFN-a receptor signaling (Ifnar1-/-), or by combining anti-PD-1 and anti-IL-6-receptor blockade. Our findings demonstrate the direct immuno-regulatory roles of TANs and their therapeutic potential.
Project description:Peri-neural invasion (PNI) is a well-established poor prognostic factor in multiple cancer types. However, the mechanisms driving the PNI's detrimental clinical effect remain elusive. Here, we provide clinical and mechanistic insights into PNI and cancer-induced injury of tumor-associated nerves (TANs) and their role in resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy. Our work demonstrates that poor response to anti-PD-1 therapy in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), melanoma, and gastric cancer is associated with PNI and TANs injury. Ultrastructural electron microscopy analysis reveals that direct contact between cancer cells and nerve fibers leads to cancer-induced nerve injury (CINI) via myelin degradation. Injured neurons respond by autonomously initiating an interleukin (IL)-6 and interferon (IFN) type I inflammatory response. This inflammatory response alters the immune activity in the peri-neural niche in melanoma, cSCC, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, leading to an immuno-suppressive activity aimed at nerve healing and regeneration. As the tumor grows, the CINI burden increases, the inflammatory signal within the niche becomes chronic, and eventually skews the general immune tone within the tumor microenvironment to a suppressive and exhaustive state. The CINI-driven anti-PD-1 resistance can be reversed by targeting multiple steps in the CINI signaling process: denervating the tumor, conditional knockout of the transcription factor mediating the injury signal within neurons (cKO-Atf3), knockout of the IFN-a receptor signaling (Ifnar1-/-), or by combining anti-PD-1 and anti-IL-6-receptor blockade. Our findings demonstrate the direct immuno-regulatory roles of TANs and their therapeutic potential.
Project description:Peri-neural invasion (PNI) is a well-established poor prognostic factor in multiple cancer types. However, the mechanisms driving the PNI's detrimental clinical effect remain elusive. Here, we provide clinical and mechanistic insights into PNI and cancer-induced injury of tumor-associated nerves (TANs) and their role in resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy. Our work demonstrates that poor response to anti-PD-1 therapy in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), melanoma, and gastric cancer is associated with PNI and TANs injury. Ultrastructural electron microscopy analysis reveals that direct contact between cancer cells and nerve fibers leads to cancer-induced nerve injury (CINI) via myelin degradation. Injured neurons respond by autonomously initiating an interleukin (IL)-6 and interferon (IFN) type I inflammatory response. This inflammatory response alters the immune activity in the peri-neural niche in melanoma, cSCC, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, leading to an immuno-suppressive activity aimed at nerve healing and regeneration. As the tumor grows, the CINI burden increases, the inflammatory signal within the niche becomes chronic, and eventually skews the general immune tone within the tumor microenvironment to a suppressive and exhaustive state. The CINI-driven anti-PD-1 resistance can be reversed by targeting multiple steps in the CINI signaling process: denervating the tumor, conditional knockout of the transcription factor mediating the injury signal within neurons (cKO-Atf3), knockout of the IFN-a receptor signaling (Ifnar1-/-), or by combining anti-PD-1 and anti-IL-6-receptor blockade. Our findings demonstrate the direct immuno-regulatory roles of TANs and their therapeutic potential.
Project description:Sciatic nerve ligation was performed on cohorts of 2-month and 24-month old animals. Resulting gene-expression data were generated from sciatic nerve 1 and 4 days after injury compared to naïve animals. Results show differences in sciatic nerve responses with normal aging. Total RNA taken from sciatic nerves from 2-month and 24-month old animals at either day 0, 1 and 4 after sciatic nerve crush injury.
Project description:ChIP-seq of H3K27acetylation in sham and injured nerve. Schwann cells play an important role in the response of peripheral nerve to injury. This study was designed to identify enhancers that are altered in sciatic nerve at 3 days post-injury to help identify pathways that mediate the gene expression reprogramming that occurs in Schwann cells after nerve injury. We employed ChIP-seq analysis of H3K27 acetylation as a mark of actively engaged enhancers, and compared enhancers in the distal stump of transected sciatic nerve compared to contralateral (sham) condition.