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Boda AR, Liu AJ, Castro-Pando S, Whitfield BT, Molldrem JJ, Al-Atrash G, Di Francesco ME, Jones P, Ager CR, Curran MA. Identification of Nonfunctional Alternatively Spliced Isoforms of STING in Human Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Cancer Res Commun 2024; 4:911-918. [PMID: 38477596 PMCID: PMC10962316 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-24-0095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Lack of robust activation of Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) pathway and subsequent induction of type I IFN responses is considered a barrier to antitumor immunity in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Using common human AML cell lines as in vitro tools to evaluate the efficacy of novel STING agonists, we found most AML lines to be poor producers of IFNs upon exposure to extremely potent agonists, suggesting cell-intrinsic suppression of STING signaling may occur. We observed unexpected patterns of response that did not correlate with levels of STING pathway components or of known enzymes associated with resistance. To identify a genetic basis for these observations, we cloned and sequenced STING from the cDNA of human AML cell lines and found both frequent mutations and deviations from normal RNA splicing. We identified two novel spliced isoforms of STING in these lines and validated their expression in primary human AML samples. When transduced into reporter cells, these novel STING isoforms exhibited complete insensitivity to agonist stimulation. These observations identify alternative splicing as a mechanism of STING pathway suppression and suggest that most AML silences the STING pathway through direct modification rather than through engagement of external inhibitory factors. SIGNIFICANCE We find that AML acquires resistance to innate immune activation via the STING pathway through aberrant splicing of the STING transcript including two novel forms described herein that act as dominant negatives. These data broaden understanding of how cancers evolve STING resistance, and suggest that the AML tumor microenvironment, not the cancer cell, should be the target of therapeutic interventions to activate STING.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akash R. Boda
- Immunology Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Arthur J. Liu
- Immunology Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Susana Castro-Pando
- Immunology Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Benjamin T. Whitfield
- Immunology Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas
| | - Jeffrey J. Molldrem
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Gheath Al-Atrash
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Maria Emilia Di Francesco
- Institute for Applied Cancer Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Philip Jones
- Institute for Applied Cancer Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Casey R. Ager
- Department of Immunology, The Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona
| | - Michael A. Curran
- Immunology Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
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Velasco WV, Khosravi N, Castro-Pando S, Torres-Garza N, Grimaldo MT, Krishna A, Clowers MJ, Umer M, Tariq Amir S, Del Bosque D, Daliri S, De La Garza MM, Ramos-Castaneda M, Evans SE, Moghaddam SJ. Toll-like receptors 2, 4, and 9 modulate promoting effect of COPD-like airway inflammation on K-ras-driven lung cancer through activation of the MyD88/NF-ĸB pathway in the airway epithelium. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1118721. [PMID: 37283745 PMCID: PMC10240392 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1118721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are an extensive group of proteins involved in host defense processes that express themselves upon the increased production of endogenous damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) due to the constant contact that airway epithelium may have with pathogenic foreign antigens. We have previously shown that COPD-like airway inflammation induced by exposure to an aerosolized lysate of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) promotes tumorigenesis in a K-ras mutant mouse model of lung cancer, CCSPCre/LSL-K-rasG12D (CC-LR) mouse. Methods In the present study, we have dissected the role of TLRs in this process by knocking out TLR2, 4, and 9 and analyzing how these deletions affect the promoting effect of COPD-like airway inflammation on K-ras-driven lung adenocarcinoma. Results We found that knockout of TLR 2, 4, or 9 results in a lower tumor burden, reduced angiogenesis, and tumor cell proliferation, accompanied by increased tumor cell apoptosis and reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment to one that is antitumorigenic. Additionally, knocking out of downstream signaling pathways, MyD88/NF-κB in the airway epithelial cells further recapitulated this initial finding. Discussion Our study expands the current knowledge of the roles that TLR signaling plays in lung cancer, which we hope, can pave the way for more reliable and efficacious prevention and treatment modalities for lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter V. Velasco
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Nasim Khosravi
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Susana Castro-Pando
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Nelly Torres-Garza
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
| | - Maria T. Grimaldo
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
- UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Avantika Krishna
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
- UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Michael J. Clowers
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
- UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Misha Umer
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Sabah Tariq Amir
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Diana Del Bosque
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Soudabeh Daliri
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Maria Miguelina De La Garza
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
| | - Marco Ramos-Castaneda
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
| | - Scott E. Evans
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
- UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Seyed Javad Moghaddam
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
- UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
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De la Garza MM, Cumpian AM, Daliri S, Castro-Pando S, Umer M, Gong L, Khosravi N, Caetano MS, Ramos-Castañeda M, Flores AG, Beltran EC, Tran HT, Tuvim MJ, Ostrin EJ, Dickey BF, Evans CM, Moghaddam SJ. COPD-Type lung inflammation promotes K-ras mutant lung cancer through epithelial HIF-1α mediated tumor angiogenesis and proliferation. Oncotarget 2018; 9:32972-32983. [PMID: 30250643 PMCID: PMC6152479 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.26030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an inflammatory disease of the lung, is an independent risk factor for lung cancer. Lung tissues obtained from human smokers with COPD and lung cancer demonstrate hypoxia and up-regulated hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1). HIF-1 activation is the central mechanism for controlling the cellular response to hypoxia during inflammation and tumor development. These facts suggest a link between COPD-related airway inflammation, HIF-1, and lung cancer. We have previously established a mouse model of COPD-like airway inflammation that promotes lung cancer in a K-ras mutant mouse model (CC-LR). Here we show that tumors in the CC-LR model have significantly elevated levels of HIF-1α and HIF-1 activity. To determine the tumor-promoting functions of HIF-1 in CC-LR mice, the gene Hif1a which encodes HIF-1α and is required for HIF-1 activity, was disrupted in the lung epithelium of CC-LR animals. Airway epithelial specific HIF-1α deficient mice demonstrated significant reductions in lung surface tumor numbers, tumor angiogenesis, and tumor cell proliferation in the absence or presence of COPD-like airway inflammation. In addition, when CC-LR mice were bred with transgenic animals that overexpress a constitutively active mutant form of human HIF-1α in the airway epithelium, both COPD- and adenocarcinoma-like phenotypes were observed. HIF-1α overexpressing CC-LR mice had significant emphysema, and they also showed potentiated tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, and cell proliferation accompanied by an invasive metastatic phenotype. Our gain and loss of function studies support a key role for HIF-1α in the promotion of lung cancer by COPD-like inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Miguelina De la Garza
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,Tecnológico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - Amber M Cumpian
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Soudabeh Daliri
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Susana Castro-Pando
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Misha Umer
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Lei Gong
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,Tianjin Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Nasim Khosravi
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Mauricio S Caetano
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Marco Ramos-Castañeda
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,Tecnológico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - Alejandra Garza Flores
- Tecnológico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - Evelyn C Beltran
- Tecnológico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - Hai T Tran
- Department of Thoracic Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Michael J Tuvim
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Edwin J Ostrin
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of General Internal Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Burton F Dickey
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Christopher M Evans
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Seyed Javad Moghaddam
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas, USA
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Zhang Y, Zoltan M, Riquelme E, Xu H, Sahin I, Castro-Pando S, Montiel MF, Chang K, Jiang Z, Ling J, Gupta S, Horne W, Pruski M, Wang H, Sun SC, Lozano G, Chiao P, Maitra A, Leach SD, Kolls JK, Sanchez EV, Wang TC, Bailey JM, McAllister F. Immune Cell Production of Interleukin 17 Induces Stem Cell Features of Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia Cells. Gastroenterology 2018; 155:210-223.e3. [PMID: 29604293 PMCID: PMC6035075 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.03.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Revised: 03/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Little is known about how the immune system affects stem cell features of pancreatic cancer cells. Immune cells that produce interleukin 17A (IL17A) in the chronically inflamed pancreas (chronic pancreatitis) contribute to pancreatic interepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) initiation and progression. We investigated the effects that IL17A signaling exerts on pancreatic cancer progenitor cells and the clinical relevance of this phenomena. METHODS We performed studies with Mist1Cre;LSLKras;Rosa26mTmG (KCiMist;G) and Kras(G12D);Trp53(R172H);Pdx1-Cre (KPC) mice (which upon tamoxifen induction spontaneously develop PanINs) and control littermates. Some mice were injected with neutralizing antibodies against IL17A or control antibody. Pancreata were collected, PanIN epithelial cells were isolated by flow cytometry based on lineage tracing, and gene expression profiles were compared. We collected cells from pancreatic tumors of KPC mice, incubated them with IL17 or control media, measured expression of genes regulated by IL17 signaling, injected the cancer cells into immune competent mice, and measured tumor growth. IL17A was overexpressed in pancreata of KCiMist mice from an adenoviral vector. Pancreata were collected from all mice and analyzed by histology and immunohistochemistry. Levels of DCLK1 and other proteins were knocked down in KPC pancreatic cancer cells using small interfering or short hairpin RNAs; cells were analyzed by immunoblotting. We obtained 65 pancreatic tumor specimens from patients, analyzed protein levels by immunohistochemistry, and compared results with patient survival times. We also analyzed gene expression levels and patient outcome using The Cancer Genome Atlas database. RESULTS PanIN cells from KCiMist;G mice had a gene expression pattern associated with embryonic stem cells. Mice given injections of IL17-neutralizing antibodies, or with immune cells that did not secrete IL17, lost this expression pattern and had significantly decreased expression of DCLK1 and POU2F3, which regulate tuft cell development. KCiMist mice that overexpressed IL17 formed more PanINs, with more DCLK1-positive cells, than control mice. Pancreatic tumor cells from KPC mice and human Capan-2 cells exposed to IL17A had increased activation of NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling and increased expression of DCLK1 and ALDH1A1 (a marker of embryonic stem cells) compared with cells in control media. These cells also formed tumors faster that cells not exposed to IL17 when they were injected into immunocompetent mice. KPC cells with knockdown of DCLK1 expressed lower levels of ALDH1A1 after incubation with IL17 than cells without knockdown. Expression of the IL17 receptor C was higher in DCLK1-positive PanIN cells from mice compared with DCLK1-negative PanIN cells. In human pancreatic tumor tissues, high levels of DCLK1 associated with a shorter median survival time of patients (17.7 months, compared with 26.6 months of patients whose tumors had low levels of DCLK1). Tumor levels of POU2F3 and LAMC2 were also associated with patient survival time. CONCLUSIONS In studies of mouse and human pancreatic tumors and precursors, we found that immune cell-derived IL17 regulated development of tuft cells and stem cell features of pancreatic cancer cells via increased expression of DCLK1, POU2F3, ALDH1A1, and IL17RC. Strategies to disrupt this pathway might be developed to prevent pancreatic tumor growth and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhang
- Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, TX, USA
| | - Michelle Zoltan
- Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, TX, USA
| | - Erick Riquelme
- Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hanwen Xu
- Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ismet Sahin
- Department of Engineering, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX
| | - Susana Castro-Pando
- Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, TX, USA
| | - Maria Fernanda Montiel
- Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, TX, USA
| | - Kyle Chang
- Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zhengyu Jiang
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Jianhua Ling
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Sonal Gupta
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - William Horne
- Richard King Mellon Foundation Institute for Pediatric Research, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Melissa Pruski
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX
| | - Huamin Wang
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Shao-Cong Sun
- Department of Immunology, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Houston, TX
| | - Guillermina Lozano
- Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Paul Chiao
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Anirban Maitra
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Steven D. Leach
- Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Jay K. Kolls
- Richard King Mellon Foundation Institute for Pediatric Research, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Eduardo Vilar Sanchez
- Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, TX, USA
| | - Timothy C. Wang
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Jennifer M. Bailey
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX
| | - Florencia McAllister
- Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
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