Lung cancer development is associated with extensive pulmonary inflammation. In addition, the linkage between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer has been demonstrated in population-based studies. IL-17-producing CD4 helper T cells (Th17 cells) play a critical role in promoting chronic tissue inflammation. Although Th17 cells are found in human COPD and lung cancer, their role is not understood. We have thus used a mouse model of lung cancer, in which an oncogenic form of K-ras (K-ras CD11b+ myeloid cells recruited by IL-17 play a protumor role. Taken together, our data demonstrate a critical role for Th17 cell-mediated inflammation in lung tumorigenesis and suggest a novel way for prevention and treatment of this disease.interleukin 17 | lung adenocarcinoma

Activating mutations of K-ras are the most common oncogenic alterations found in lung cancer. Unfortunately, attempts to target K-ras mutant lung tumors have thus far failed, clearly indicating the need for new approaches in patients with this molecular profile. We have previously shown NF-κB activation, release of IL-6, and activation of its responsive transcription factor STAT3 in K-ras mutant lung tumors, which was further amplified by the tumor enhancing effect of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-type airway inflammation. These findings suggest an essential role for this inflammatory pathway in K-ras mutant lung tumorigenesis and its enhancement by COPD. Therefore, here we blocked IL-6 using a monoclonal anti-IL-6 antibody in a K-ras mutant mouse model of lung cancer in the absence or presence of COPD-type airway inflammation. IL-6 blockade significantly inhibited lung cancer promotion, tumor cell intrinsic STAT3 activation, tumor cell proliferation, and angiogenesis markers. Moreover, IL-6 inhibition reduced expression of pro-tumor type 2 molecules (Arginase 1, Fizz 1, Mgl, and IDO), number of M2 type macrophages and G-MDSCs, and pro-tumor T-regulatory/T helper 17 cell responses. This was accompanied by increased expression of anti-tumor type 1 molecule (Nos2), and anti-tumor T helper 1/CD8 T cell responses. Our study demonstrates that IL-6 blockade not only has direct intrinsic inhibitory effect on tumor cells, but also re-educates the lung microenvironment toward an anti-tumor phenotype by altering the relative proportion between pro-tumor and anti-tumor immune cells. This information introduces IL-6 as a potential druggable target for prevention and treatment of K-ras mutant lung tumors.

BackgroundTumor cells produce various cytokines and chemokines that attract leukocytes. Leukocytes can amplify parenchymal innate immune responses, and have been shown to contribute to tumor promotion. Neutrophils are among the first cells to arrive at sites of inflammation, and the increased number of tumor-associated neutrophils is linked to poorer outcome in patients with lung cancer.ResultsWe have previously shown that COPD-like airway inflammation promotes lung cancer in a K-ras mutant mouse model of lung cancer (CC-LR). This was associated with severe lung neutrophilic influx due to the increased level of neutrophil chemoattractant, KC. To further study the role of neutrophils in lung tumorigenesis, we depleted neutrophils in CC-LR mice using an anti-neutrophil antibody. This resulted in a significant reduction in lung tumor number. We further selectively inhibited the main receptor for neutrophil chemo-attractant KC, CXCR2. Similarly, this resulted in suppression of neutrophil recruitment into the lung of CC-LR mice followed by significant tumor reduction. Neutrophil elastase (NE) is a potent elastolytic enzyme produced by neutrophils at the site of inflammation. We crossed the CC-LR mice with NE knock-out mice, and found that lack of NE significantly inhibits lung cancer development. These were associated with significant reduction in tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis.ConclusionWe conclude that lung cancer promotion by inflammation is partly mediated by activation of the IL-8/CXCR2 pathway and subsequent recruitment of neutrophils and release of neutrophil elastase. This provides a baseline for future clinical trials using the IL-8/CXCR2 pathway or NE inhibitors in patients with lung cancer.

Somatic mutations are the most common oncogenic variants in lung cancer and are associated with poor prognosis. Using a-induced lung cancer mouse model, CC-LR, we previously showed a role for inflammation in lung tumorigenesis through activation of the NF-κB pathway, along with induction of interleukin 6 (IL6) and an IL17-producing CD4 T-helper cell response. IL22 is an effector molecule secreted by CD4 and γδ T cells that we previously found to be expressed in CC-LR mice. IL22 mostly signals through the STAT3 pathway and is thought to act exclusively on nonhematopoietic cells with basal IL22 receptor (IL22R) expression on epithelial cells. Here, we found that higher expression of in patients with-mutant lung adenocarcinoma was an independent indicator of poor recurrence-free survival. We then showed that genetic ablation of in CC-LR mice (CC-LR/IL22KO mice) caused a significant reduction in tumor number and size. This was accompanied by significantly lower tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and STAT3 activation. ablation was also associated with significant reduction in lung-infiltrating inflammatory cells and expression of protumor inflammatory cytokines. Conversely, this was accompanied with increased antitumor Th1 and cytotoxic CD8 T-cell responses, while suppressing the protumor immunosuppressive T regulatory cell response. In CC-LR/IL22KO mice, we found significantly reduced expression of core stemness genes and the number of prototypical SPCCCSP stem cells. Thus, we conclude that IL22 promotes -mutant lung tumorigenesis by driving a protumor inflammatory microenvironment with proliferative, angiogenic, and stemness contextual cues in epithelial/tumor cells..

Lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs) with mutations in the K-ras oncogene display dismal prognosis. Proinflammatory and immunomodulatory events that drive development of K-ras mutant LUAD are poorly understood. Here, we develop a lung epithelial specific K-ras mutant/Stat3 conditional knockout (LR/Stat3Δ/Δ) mouse model. Epithelial Stat3 deletion results in intriguing sex-associated discrepancies; K-ras mutant tumors are decreased in female LR/Stat3Δ/Δ mice whereas tumor burdens are increased in males. RNA-sequencing and tumor microenvironment (TME) analysis demonstrate increased anti-tumor immune responses following Stat3 deletion in females and, conversely, elevated pro-tumor immune pathways in males. While IL-6 blockade in male LR/Stat3Δ/Δ mice reduces lung tumorigenesis, inhibition of estrogen receptor signaling in female mice augments K-ras mutant oncogenesis and reprograms lung TME toward a pro-tumor phenotype. Our data underscore a critical sex-specific role for epithelial Stat3 signaling in K-ras mutant LUAD, thus paving the way for developing personalized (e.g. sex-based) immunotherapeutic strategies for this fatal disease.