Neoplastic pancreatic epithelial cells are widely believed to die via Caspase 8-dependant apoptotic cell death and chemotherapy is thought to further promote tumor apoptosis1. Conversely, disruption of apoptosis is a basic modality cancer cells exploit for survival2,3. However, the role of necroptosis, or programmed necrosis, in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is uncertain. There are a multitude of potential inducers of necroptosis in PDA including ligation of TNFR1, CD95, TRAIL receptors, Toll-like receptors, ROS, and Chemotherapeutics4,5. Here we report that the principal components of the necrosome, RIP1 and RIP3, are highly expressed in PDA and are further upregulated by chemotherapy. Blockade of the necrosome in vitro promoted cancer cell proliferation and induced an aggressive oncogenic phenotype. By contrast, in vivo RIP3 deletion or RIP1 inhibition was protective against oncogenic progression and was associated with the development of a highly immunogenic myeloid and T cell infiltrate. The immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) associated with intact RIP1/RIP3 signaling was in-part contingent on necroptosis-induced CXCL1 expression whereas CXCL1 blockade was protective against PDA. Moreover, we found that cytoplasmic SAP130 was expressed in PDA in a RIP1/RIP3-dependent manner, and Mincle – its cognate receptor – was upregulated in tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells. Mincle ligation by SAP130 promoted oncogenesis whereas Mincle deletion was protective and phenocopied the immunogenic reprogramming of the TME characteristic of RIP3 deletion. Cellular depletion experiments suggested that whereas inhibitory macrophages promote tumorigenesis in PDA, they lose their immune-suppressive effects in the context of RIP3 or Mincle deletion. As such, T cells which are dispensable to PDA progression in hosts with intact RIP3 or Mincle signaling become reprogrammed into indispensable mediators of anti-tumor immunity in absence of RIP3 or Mincle. Our work describes parallel networks of necroptosis-induced CXCL1 and Mincle signaling which critically promote macrophage-induced adaptive immune suppression enabling PDA progression.

Background & Aims The role of radiation therapy in the treatment of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is controversial. Randomized controlled trials investigating the efficacy of radiation therapy in patients with locally advanced unresectable PDA have reported mixed results, with effects ranging from modest benefit to worse outcome, compared with control therapies. We investigated whether radiation causes inflammatory cells to acquire an immune-suppressive phenotype that limits the therapeutic effects of radiation on invasive PDAs and accelerates progression of pre-invasive foci. Methods We investigated the effects of radiation in p48Cre;LSL-KrasG12D (KC) and p48Cre;LSLKrasG12D;LSL-Trp53R172H (KPC) mice, as well as in C57BL/6 mice with orthotopic tumors grown from FC1242 cells derived from KPC mice. Some mice were given neutralizing antibodies against macrophage colony stimulating factor 1 (CSF1 or MCSF) or F4/80. Pancreata were exposed to doses of radiation ranging from 2–12 Gy and analyzed by flow cytometry. Results Pancreata of KC mice exposed to radiation had a higher frequency of advanced pancreatic intraepithelial lesions and more foci of invasive cancer than pancreata of unexposed mice (controls); radiation reduced survival time by more than 6 months. A greater proportion of macrophages from invasive and pre-invasive pancreatic tumors had an immune-suppressive, M2-like phenotype, compared with control mice. Pancreata from mice exposed to radiation had fewer CD8+ T cells than controls and greater numbers of CD4+ T cells of T-helper 2 and T-regulatory cell phenotypes. Adoptive transfer of T cells from irradiated PDA to tumors of control mice accelerated tumor growth. Radiation induced production of MCSF by PDA cells. An antibody against MCSF prevented radiation from altering the phenotype of macrophages in tumors, increasing the anti-tumor T-cell response and slowing tumor growth. Conclusions Radiation exposure causes macrophages in PDAs of mice to acquire an immune-suppressive phenotype and reduce T-cell mediated anti-tumor responses. Agents that block MCSF prevent this effect, allowing radiation to have increased efficacy in slowing tumor growth.

Summary Dectin-1 is a C-type lectin receptor critical in anti-fungal immunity but Dectin-1 has not been linked to regulation of sterile inflammation or oncogenesis. We found that Dectin-1 expression is upregulated in hepatic fibrosis and liver cancer. However, Dectin-1 deletion exacerbates liver fibro-inflammatory disease and accelerates hepatocarcinogenesis. Mechanistically, we found that Dectin-1 protects against chronic liver disease by suppressing TLR4 signaling in hepatic inflammatory and stellate cells. Accordingly, Dectin-1−/− mice exhibited augmented cytokine production and reduced survival in LPS-mediated sepsis whereas Dectin-1 activation was protective. We showed that Dectin-1 inhibits TLR4 signaling by mitigating TLR4 and CD14 expression which are regulated by Dectin-1-dependent M-CSF expression. Our study suggests that Dectin-1 is an attractive target for experimental therapeutics in hepatic fibrosis and neoplastic transformation. More broadly, our work deciphers critical cross-talk between pattern recognition receptors and implicates a role for Dectin-1 in suppression of sterile inflammation, inflammation-induced oncogenesis, and LPS-mediated sepsis.

ABSTRAcT. Lungs comprise the primary organ exposed to environmental toxic chemicals, resulting in diverse respiratory ailments and other disorders, including carcinogenesis. Carcinogenesis is a multi-stage phenomenon, which involves a series of genetic alterations that begin with genomic instability provoked by certain factors such as inflammation and DNA damage and end with the development of cancer. Isocyanates such as methyl isocyanate are the chief metabolic intermediates in many industrial settings with diverse applications; exposure to them can lead to severe hypersensitive, mutagenic and genotoxic alterations. We examined the molecular mechanisms underlying isocyanate-mediated inflammatory responses and their probable role in the onset of genomic instability in cultured IMR-90 human lung fibroblasts. The isocyanates induced inflammation, resulting in extensive DNA damage, evidenced by increases in ATM, ATR, γH2AX, and p53 expression levels. The apoptotic index also increased. Chromosomal anomalies in treated cells included over-expression of centrosome protein and variable amplification of inter-simple sequence repeats, further demonstrating isocyanate-induced genomic insta- bility. This information could be useful in the design of new approaches for risk assessment of potential industrial disasters.

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Neoplastic pancreatic epithelial cells are widely believed to die via Caspase 8-dependantapoptotic cell death and chemotherapy is thought to further promote tumor apoptosis. Conversely, disruption of apoptosis is a basic modality cancer cells exploit for survival. However, the role of necroptosis, or programmed necrosis, in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is uncertain. There are a multitude of potential inducers of necroptosis in PDA including ligation of TNFR1, CD95, TRAIL receptors, Toll-like receptors, ROS, and Chemotherapeutics. We doscovered that the principal components of the necrosome, RIP1 and RIP3, are highly expressed in PDA and are further upregulated by chemotherapy. Blockade of the necrosome in vitro promoted cancer cell proliferation and induced an aggressive oncogenic phenotype. However, belying these findings, in vivo RIP3 deletion or RIP1 inhibition was protective against oncogenic progression and was associated with the development of a highly immunogenic myeloid and T cell infiltrate. The immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) associated with intact RIP1/RIP3 signaling was in-part contingent on necroptosis-induced CXCL1 expression whereas CXCL1 blockade was protective against PDA. Moreover, we found that cytoplasmic SAP130 was expressed in PDA in a RIP1/RIP3-dependent manner, and Mincle – its cognate receptor – was upregulated in tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells. Mincle ligation by SAP130 promoted oncogenesis whereas Mincle deletion was protective and phenocopied the immunogenic reprogramming of the TME characteristic of RIP3 deletion. Cellular depletion experiments suggested that whereas inhibitory macrophages promote tumorigenesis in PDA, they lose their immune-suppressive effects in the context of RIP3 or Mincle deletion. As such, T cells which are dispensable to PDA progression in hosts with intact RIP3 or Mincle signaling become reprogrammed into indispensable mediators of anti-tumor immunity in absence of RIP3 or Mincle. Our work describes parallel networks of necroptosis-induced CXCL1 and Mincle signaling which critically promote macrophage-induced adaptive immune suppression enabling PDA progression. Citation Format: Lena Seifert, Gregor Werba, Shaun Tiwari, Ly Nancy Ngoc Giao, Dalia Alqunaibit, Sara Alothman, Donnele Daley, Mautin Hundeyin, Vishnu R. Mani, Rocky Barilla, George Miller.{Authors}. The necrosome promotes pancreatic Oncogenesis via CXCL1 and mincle-induced immune Suppression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Advances in Science and Clinical Care; 2016 May 12-15; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(24 Suppl):Abstract nr B20.

Radiation therapy (RT) has shown marginal efficacy in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). Two of the past three randomized controlled trials investigating the efficacy of RT for patients with locally advanced unresectable PDA have shown a statistically significant worse survival by 40% or more for patients receiving RT. We postulated that RT reprograms inflammatory cells within the tumor microenvironment to an immune suppressive phenotype limiting the efficacy of RT in invasive PDA and accelerating disease progression in surrounding pre-invasive foci. We found that RT markedly accelerates the progression of pre-invasive PDA in a dose-dependent manner and reduces animal survival by more than 6 months. In both invasive and pre-invasive PDA, RT reprograms immunogenic macrophages towards an immune-suppressive M2 phenotype resulting in CD8 T cell scarcity and Th2 and Treg differentiation of CD4 T cells. Moreover, adoptive transfer of T cells harvested from RT-treated tumors accelerates tumor growth in recipient hosts. We show that M-CSF blockade concurrent with RT prevents immune-suppressive macrophage and T cell reprogramming and markedly enhances the efficacy of RT in PDA. These data suggest that targeting macrophage reprogramming can unleash the utility of RT for PDA. Citation Format: Lena Tomkötter, Gregor Werba, Susanna Nguy, Sara Alothman, Dalia Alqunaibit, Shaun Tiwari, Nancy Ngoc Giao Ly, Donnele Daley, Atsuo Ochi, Rocky Barilla, Alejandro Torres-Hernandez, Ilenia Pellicciotta, Kevin Du, George Miller. Radiation therapy induces tumor-promoting immune suppression in the microenvironment of pancreatic carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A145.

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