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Zhang X, Lan R, Liu Y, Pillarisetty VG, Li D, Zhao CL, Sarkar SA, Liu W, Hanna I, Gupta M, Hajdu C, Melamed J, Shusterman M, Widmer J, Allendorf J, Liu YZ. Enhanced Complement Expression in the Tumor Microenvironment Following Neoadjuvant Therapy: Implications for Immunomodulation and Survival in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-4104258. [PMID: 38798691 PMCID: PMC11118688 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4104258/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Background Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) is increasingly being used for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) treatment. However, its specific effects on carcinoma cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME) are not fully understood. This study aims to investigate how NAT differentially impacts PDAC's carcinoma cells and TME. Methods Spatial transcriptomics was used to compare gene expression profiles in carcinoma cells and the TME between 23 NAT-treated and 13 NAT-naïve PDAC patients, correlating with their clinicopathologic features. Analysis of an online single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) dataset was performed for validation of the specific cell types responsible for NAT-induced gene expression alterations. Results NAT not only induces apoptosis and inhibits proliferation in carcinoma cells but also significantly remodels the TME. Notably, NAT induces a coordinated upregulation of multiple key complement genes (C3, C1S, C1R, C4B and C7) in the TME, making the complement pathway one of the most significantly affected pathways by NAT. Patients with higher TME complement expression following NAT exhibit improved overall survival. These patients also exhibit increased immunomodulatory and neurotrophic cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs); more CD4+ T cells, monocytes, and mast cells; and reduced immune exhaustion gene expression. snRNA-seq analysis demonstrates C3 complement was specifically upregulated in CAFs but not in other stroma cell types. Conclusions NAT can enhance complement production and signaling within the TME, which is associated with reduced immunosuppression in PDAC. These findings suggest that local complement dynamics could serve as a novel biomarker for prognosis, evaluating treatment response and resistance, and guiding therapeutic strategies in NAT-treated PDAC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofei Zhang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New York University Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Long Island, NY
| | - Ruoxin Lan
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
| | - Yongjun Liu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
| | - Venu G Pillarisetty
- Department of Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
| | - Danting Li
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
| | - Chaohui L Zhao
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New York University Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Long Island, NY
| | - Suparna A. Sarkar
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Weiguo Liu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New York University Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Long Island, NY
| | - Iman Hanna
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New York University Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Long Island, NY
| | - Mala Gupta
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New York University Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Long Island, NY
| | - Cristina Hajdu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Jonathan Melamed
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New York University Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Long Island, NY
| | - Michael Shusterman
- Department of Oncology, New York University Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Long Island, NY
| | - Jessica Widmer
- Department of Gastroenterology, New York University Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Long Island, NY
| | - John Allendorf
- Department of Surgery, New York University Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Long Island, NY
| | - Yao-Zhong Liu
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
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Behrens D, Pfohl U, Conrad T, Becker M, Brzezicha B, Büttner B, Wagner S, Hallas C, Lawlor R, Khazak V, Linnebacher M, Wartmann T, Fichtner I, Hoffmann J, Dahlmann M, Walther W. Establishment and Thorough Characterization of Xenograft (PDX) Models Derived from Patients with Pancreatic Cancer for Molecular Analyses and Chemosensitivity Testing. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5753. [PMID: 38136299 PMCID: PMC10741928 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15245753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumor models are essential for identifying new biomarkers, signaling pathways and novel targets, to better define key factors of therapy response and resistance mechanisms. Therefore, this study aimed at establishing pancreas carcinoma (PC) PDX models with thorough molecular characterization, and the identification of signatures defining responsiveness toward drug treatment. In total, 45 PC-PDXs were generated from 120 patient tumor specimens and the identity of PDX and corresponding patient tumors was validated. The majority of engrafted PDX models represent ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC). The PDX growth characteristics were assessed, with great variations in doubling times (4 to 32 days). The mutational analyses revealed an individual mutational profile of the PDXs, predominantly showing alterations in the genes encoding KRAS, TP53, FAT1, KMT2D, MUC4, RNF213, ATR, MUC16, GNAS, RANBP2 and CDKN2A. Sensitivity of PDX toward standard of care (SoC) drugs gemcitabine, 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin and abraxane, and combinations thereof, revealed PDX models with sensitivity and resistance toward these treatments. We performed correlation analyses of drug sensitivity of these PDX models and their molecular profile to identify signatures for response and resistance. This study strongly supports the importance and value of PDX models for improvement in therapies of PC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Behrens
- Experimental Pharmacology and Oncology GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany (M.D.)
| | - Ulrike Pfohl
- Experimental Pharmacology and Oncology GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany (M.D.)
- CELLphenomics GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Theresia Conrad
- Experimental Pharmacology and Oncology GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany (M.D.)
| | - Michael Becker
- Experimental Pharmacology and Oncology GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany (M.D.)
| | - Bernadette Brzezicha
- Experimental Pharmacology and Oncology GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany (M.D.)
| | - Britta Büttner
- Experimental Pharmacology and Oncology GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany (M.D.)
| | - Silvia Wagner
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Cora Hallas
- Institut für Hämatopathologie, Fangdieckstr. 75, 22547 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rita Lawlor
- ARC-Net Research Center, University and Hospital Trust of Verona, Piazzale A. Scuro 10, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | | | - Michael Linnebacher
- Clinic of General Surgery, Molecular Oncology and Immunotherapy, University Medical Center Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Thomas Wartmann
- University Clinic for General, Visceral, Vascular and Transplantation Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Otto-von-Guericke-University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Iduna Fichtner
- Experimental Pharmacology and Oncology GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany (M.D.)
| | - Jens Hoffmann
- Experimental Pharmacology and Oncology GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany (M.D.)
| | - Mathias Dahlmann
- Experimental Pharmacology and Oncology GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany (M.D.)
| | - Wolfgang Walther
- Experimental Pharmacology and Oncology GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany (M.D.)
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Lindenberger Weg 80, 13125 Berlin, Germany
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
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