Abstract 555: Prostate cancer cell-induced differentiation of human monocytes into MDSCs ex vivo is inhibited by targeting STAT3
Authors: Hellsten Rebecka , Leandersson Karin , Bjartell Anders , Johansson Martin E. 
Published: July 2016

Background: The transcription factor Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription Factor 3 (STAT3) is implicated in acquired drug resistance, metastases and immune suppression in prostate cancer and is a potential target in drug-resistant prostate cancer. Today, the treatment options for metastatic drug-resistant prostate cancer are very limited and existing immunotherapies have so far shown low efficacy. Cancer cells may avoid immune responses by expressing immunosuppressive markers or activating immunosuppressive cells. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) play a major role in the suppression of antitumor immunity and active STAT3 signaling has been shown to be involved in the immunosuppressive functions of these cells. Elevated levels of MDSC have been found in the peripheral blood and at the tumor site of prostate cancer patients and to correlate with disease progression.

Aims: In this study we aimed to investigate if human monocytes could be induced to differentiate into immunosuppressive cells in the presence of prostate cancer cells and if this effect could be blocked by the STAT3 inhibitor GPA500 (galiellalactone).

Methods: Monocytes were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy human donors using a magnetic monocyte enrichment kit. Monocytes were co-cultured with the prostate cancer cell lines DU145, LNCaP or longterm IL6 treated LNCaP cells (LNCaP-IL6+) in transwells allowing cancer cells and monocytes to share culture medium. The co-cultures were grown for three days with or without the STAT3 inhibitor GPA500 (5 uM or 10 uM) with subsequent analysis by flow cytometry for cell surface markers of MDSC differentiation (CD14+ HLA-DRlo). The presence of active STAT3 (pSTAT3) in the prostate cancer cell lines was determined by Western blot.

Results: Monocytes in the presence of DU145 and LNCaP-IL6+ cells showed a significantly increased population of CD14+ HLA-DRlo cells. In the presence of GPA500 the induction of this population was inhibited in a dose dependent manner compared to untreated cells. Co-culture with LNCaP cells that lack pSTAT3 did not induce this population in monocytes after three days in culture. Furthermore, GPA500 induced a dendritic cell-like population in monocytes in the absence of prostate cancer cell co-culture. This population was also observed in monocytes when co-cultured with LNCaP-IL6+ cells, but not in DU145 co-cultures, with GPA500 present.

Conclusion: The prostate cancer cell lines DU145 and LNCaP-IL6+ were able to induce a monocyte population displaying MDSC markers and this induction could be inhibited by the STAT3 inhibitor GPA500.

Impact: This study demonstrates that inhibiting the transcription factor STAT3 in prostate cancer could potentially reverse the immunosuppressive mechanisms caused by MDSC activation and that STAT3 inhibitors, alone or in combination with other therapies, could be a new treatment option for prostate cancer.

Citation Format: Rebecka Hellsten, Karin Leandersson, Anders Bjartell, Martin E. Johansson. Prostate cancer cell-induced differentiation of human monocytes into MDSCs ex vivo is inhibited by targeting STAT3. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 555.