scholarly journals PARP Inhibitor Upregulates PD-L1 Expression and Provides a New Combination Therapy in Pancreatic Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yali Wang ◽  
Kun Zheng ◽  
Hua Xiong ◽  
Yongbiao Huang ◽  
Xiuqiong Chen ◽  
...  

Despite recent improvements in treatment modalities, pancreatic cancer remains a highly lethal tumor with mortality rate increasing every year. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are now used in pancreatic cancer as a breakthrough in targeted therapy. This study focused on whether PARP inhibitors (PARPis) can affect programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression in pancreatic cancer and whether immune checkpoint inhibitors of PD-L1/programmed death 1 (PD-1) can enhance the anti-tumor effects of PARPis. Here we found that PARPi, pamiparib, up-regulated PD-L1 expression on the surface of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, pamiparib induced PD-L1 expression via JAK2/STAT3 pathway, at least partially, in pancreatic cancer. Importantly, pamiparib attenuated tumor growth; while co-administration of pamiparib with PD-L1 blockers significantly improved the therapeutic efficacy in vivo compared with monotherapy. Combination therapy resulted in an altered tumor immune microenvironment with a significant increase in windiness of CD8+ T cells, suggesting a potential role of CD8+ T cells in the combination therapy. Together, this study provides evidence for the clinical application of PARPis with anti-PD-L1/PD-1 drugs in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Jia Zhu ◽  
Yujie Jia ◽  
Jingwen Tan ◽  
Xiaoyan Fang ◽  
Jing Ye ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has demonstrated clinical success in treating haematologic malignancies but has not been effective against solid tumours thus far. Trop2 is a tumour-related antigen broadly overexpressed on a variety of tumours and has been reported as a promising target for pancreatic cancers. Our study aimed to determine whether CAR T cells designed with a fully human Trop2-specific single-chain fragment variable (scFv) can be used in the treatment of Trop2-positive pancreatic tumours.Methods: We designed Trop2-targeted chimeric antigen receptor engineered T cells with a novel human anti-Trop2 scFv (2F11) and then investigated the cytotoxicity, degranulation, and cytokine secretion profiles of the anti-Trop2 CAR T cells when they were exposed to Trop2+ cancer cells in vitro. We also studied the antitumour efficacy and toxicity of Trop2-specific CAR T cells in vivo using a BxPC-3 pancreatic xenograft model.Results: Trop2-targeted CAR T cells designed with 2F11 effectively killed Trop2-positive pancreatic cancer cells and produced high levels of cytotoxic cytokines in vitro. In addition, Trop2-targeted CAR T cells, which persistently circulate in vivo and efficiently infiltrate into tumour tissues, significantly blocked and even eliminated BxPC-3 pancreatic xenograft tumour growth without obvious deleterious effects observed after intravenous injection into NSG mice. Moreover, disease-free survival was efficiently prolonged.Conclusion: These results show that Trop2-targeted CAR T cells equipped with a fully human anti-Trop2 scFv could be a potential treatment strategy for pancreatic cancer and could be useful for clinical evaluation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 285-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Dreyer ◽  
Viola Paulus-Hock ◽  
Rosie Upstill-Goddard ◽  
Eirini Lampraki ◽  
Nigel Jamieson ◽  
...  

285 Background: Integrated multi-omic analyses revealed 24% of pancreatic cancer (PC) harbor defects in DNA damage response (DDR) and a subgroup demonstrate upregulation in replication stress pathways. DDR defective tumors preferentially respond to DNA damaging agents, and clinical responses to cell cycle inhibitors are seen in undefined subgroups, representing novel therapeutic strategies for PC. The aim of this study is to define and refine therapeutic segments for agents targeting DDR and replication stress in PC. Methods: We performed whole genome and RNA sequencing (RNAseq) on 48 patient-derived cell lines (PDCL) generated and characterized as part of the International Cancer Genome Initiative (ICGC). This identified increased replication stress in a sub-group of tumours, correlating with previously defined molecular subtypes of PC, irrespective of DDR status. Cytotoxic viability assays were performed using agents targeting the DDR pathway and cell cycle checkpoints, including Cisplatin, and inhibitors of PARP, ATR, WEE1, CHK1, CDK4/6 and PLK4. Subcutaneous patient derived xenografts (PDX) were generated to test therapeutic regimens in vivo. Results: DDR defective models, as defined by signatures of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) were highly sensitive to Cisplatin and PARP inhibitors. Replication stress predicted differential responses to cell cycle inhibitors of WEE1, CHK1, CDK4/6 and PLK4. A novel mRNA signature of ATR inhibitor sensitivity was generated and correlated with response. Response to cell cycle checkpoint inhibitors were independent of DDR status, but strongly associated with replication stress. Conclusions: This proof of concept data demonstrates DDR deficiency and increased Replication Stress to be attractive targets in PC. Therapeutic vulnerabilities extend beyond platinum chemotherapy and can be targeted with novel small molecule inhibitors, with independent biomarkers predicting response to agents targeting either DDR or cell cycle checkpoints. This has led to the design and development of several personalized medicine trials via the Precision Panc platform targeting DDR and Replication stress, and will allow clinical testing of signatures of HRD and replication stress.


2010 ◽  
Vol 999 (999) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
P. Ulivi ◽  
C. Arienti ◽  
W. Zoli ◽  
M. Scarsella ◽  
S. Carloni ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1442-1452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roderich E. Schwarz ◽  
Niranjan Awasthi ◽  
Srivani Konduri ◽  
Danielle Cafasso ◽  
Margaret A. Schwarz

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2017
Author(s):  
Lital Sharvit ◽  
Rinat Bar-Shalom ◽  
Naiel Azzam ◽  
Yaniv Yechiel ◽  
Solomon Wasser ◽  
...  

Pancreatic cancer is a highly lethal disease with limited options for effective therapy and the lowest survival rate of all cancer forms. Therefore, a new, effective strategy for cancer treatment is in need. Previously, we found that a culture liquid extract of Cyathus striatus (CS) has a potent antitumor activity. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of Cyathus striatus extract (CSE) on the growth of pancreatic cancer cells, both in vitro and in vivo. The proliferation assay (XTT), cell cycle analysis, Annexin/PI staining and TUNEL assay confirmed the inhibition of cell growth and induction of apoptosis by CSE. A Western blot analysis demonstrated the involvement of both the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathways. In addition, a RNAseq analysis revealed the involvement of the MAPK and P53 signaling pathways and pointed toward endoplasmic reticulum stress induced apoptosis. The anticancer activity of the CSE was also demonstrated in mice harboring pancreatic cancer cell line-derived tumor xenografts when CSE was given for 5 weeks by weekly IV injections. Our findings suggest that CSE could potentially be useful as a new strategy for treating pancreatic cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Guo ◽  
Yingke Zhou ◽  
Hui Guo ◽  
Dianyun Ren ◽  
Xin Jin ◽  
...  

AbstractNR5A2 is a transcription factor regulating the expression of various oncogenes. However, the role of NR5A2 and the specific regulatory mechanism of NR5A2 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are not thoroughly studied. In our study, Western blotting, real-time PCR, and immunohistochemistry were conducted to assess the expression levels of different molecules. Wound-healing, MTS, colony formation, and transwell assays were employed to evaluate the malignant potential of pancreatic cancer cells. We demonstrated that NR5A2 acted as a negative prognostic biomarker in PDAC. NR5A2 silencing inhibited the proliferation and migration abilities of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. While NR5A2 overexpression markedly promoted both events in vitro. We further identified that NR5A2 was transcriptionally upregulated by BRD4 in pancreatic cancer cells and this was confirmed by Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and ChIP-qPCR. Besides, transcriptome RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed to explore the cancer-promoting effects of NR5A2, we found that GDF15 is a component of multiple down-regulated tumor-promoting gene sets after NR5A2 was silenced. Next, we showed that NR5A2 enhanced the malignancy of pancreatic cancer cells by inducing the transcription of GDF15. Collectively, our findings suggest that NR5A2 expression is induced by BRD4. In turn, NR5A2 activates the transcription of GDF15, promoting pancreatic cancer progression. Therefore, NR5A2 and GDF15 could be promising therapeutic targets in pancreatic cancer.


Author(s):  
Huiming Chen ◽  
Junfeng Zhao ◽  
Ningning Jiang ◽  
Zheng Wang ◽  
Chang Liu

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal diseases, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 10% because of the limited knowledge of tumor-promoting factors and their underlying mechanism. Diabetes mellitus (DM) and hyperglycemia are risk factors for many cancers, including PDAC, that modulate multiple downstream signaling pathways, such as the wingless/integrated (Wnt)/β-catenin signaling pathway. However, whether hyperglycemia promotes PDAC initiation and progression by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway remains unclear. Methods: In this study, we used bioinformatics analysis and clinical specimen analysis to evaluate the activation states of the Wnt/βcatenin signaling pathway. In addition, colony formation assays, Transwell assays and wound-healing assays were used to evaluate the malignant biological behaviors of pancreatic cancer cells (PCs) under hyperglycemic conditions. To describe the effects of hyperglycemia and the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway on the initiation of PDAC, we used pancreatitis-driven pancreatic cancer initiation models in vivo and pancreatic acinar cell 3-dimensional culture in vitro. Results: Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related molecules were overexpressed in PDAC tissues/cells and correlated with poor prognosis in PDAC patients. In addition, hyperglycemia exacerbated the abnormal activation of β-catenin in PDAC and enhanced the malignant biological behaviors of PCs in a Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-dependent manner. Indeed, hyperglycemia accelerated the formation of pancreatic precancerous lesions by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in vivo and in vitro. Conclusion: Hyperglycemia promotes pancreatic cancer initiation and progression by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Rouven Liedtke ◽  
Sander Bekeschus ◽  
André Kaeding ◽  
Christine Hackbarth ◽  
Jens-Peter Kuehn ◽  
...  

2000 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. A540
Author(s):  
Thomas Seufferlein ◽  
Michael J. Seckl ◽  
Michael Beil ◽  
Hardi Luhrs ◽  
Roland M. Schmid ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Congjun Zhang ◽  
Shuangyan Ou ◽  
Yuan Zhou ◽  
Pei Liu ◽  
Peiying Zhang ◽  
...  

ObjectivePancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal human malignancies. Gemcitabine is widely used to treat pancreatic cancer, and the resistance to chemotherapy is the major difficulty in treating the disease. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification, which regulates RNA splicing, stability, translocation, and translation, plays critical roles in cancer physiological and pathological processes. METTL14, an m6A Lmethyltransferase, was found deregulated in multiple cancer types. However, its role in gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer remains elusive.MethodsThe mRNA and protein level of m6A modification associated genes were assessed by QRT-PCR and western blotting. Then, gemcitabine‐resistant pancreatic cancer cells were established. The growth of pancreatic cancer cells were analyzed using CCK8 assay and colony formation assay. METTL14 was depleted by using shRNA. The binding of p65 on METTL14 promoter was assessed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay. Protein level of deoxycytidine kinase (DCK) and cytidine deaminase (CDA) was evaluated by western blotting. In vivo experiments were conducted to further confirm the critical role of METTL14 in gemcitabine resistance.ResultsWe found that gemcitabine treatment significantly increased the expression of m6A methyltransferase METTL14, and METTL14 was up-regulated in gemcitabine-resistance human pancreatic cancer cells. Suppression of METTL14 obviously increased the sensitivity of gemcitabine in resistant cells. Moreover, we identified that transcriptional factor p65 targeted the promoter region of METTL14 and up-regulated its expression, which then increased the expression of cytidine deaminase (CDA), an enzyme inactivates gemcitabine. Furthermore, in vivo experiment showed that depletion of METTL14 rescue the response of resistance cell to gemcitabine in a xenograft model.ConclusionOur study suggested that METTL14 is a potential target for chemotherapy resistance in pancreatic cancer.


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