Abstract LB257: Possible involvement of PDL1 intrinsic signaling to acquired resistance to immunotherapy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC)
Authors: Chung Jin-Sung , Guo Lei , Popat Vinita , Cruz Ponciano D. , Xu Lin , Hammers Hans , Ariizumi Kiyoshi 
Published: April 2024

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has shown unprecedented results in RCC treatment, but durable responses have been hampered by acquired resistance (AR, initially respond but eventually develop cancer progression). Mechanisms for AR remain ambiguous. Previously, we reported elevated blood GPNMB to strongly associate with AR development. To study molecular mechanisms for AR-linked GPNMB elevation, we created an ICI-resistant RenCa (R-RenCa) mouse model by repeated selection of largest tumors in mice treated with PD1 Ab ICI. Parental cells (Gpnmblow) respond to ICI (S-RenCa), while R-RenCa is completely unresponsive to ICI and acquired Gpnmb overexpression (but PDL1 remained unchanged), recapitulating strong association of GPNMB with AR development. R-RenCa tumors displayed more immunosuppressive and angiogenic phenotypes and enhanced response to anti-Gpnmb Ab. In probing for genetic alterations unique to R-RenCa, whole exome seq analysis showed R-RenCa to bear a greater tumor mutation burden (184.9 and 174.6 mut/Mb for R- and S-RenCa, respectively) but no somatic mutations in beta-2 microglobulin and IFN-signal molecule genes known to be involved in AR. RNA-seq analysis showed; more transcriptionally active genes in R-RenCa tumors (heatmap analysis); more responsive genes to ICI (Volcano analysis); and dysregulation in microphthalmia (Mitf) family gene expression. Mitf RNA was upregulated 3-fold, but Tfe3 and other members downregulated 2-3-fold. RNA start sites of Mitf transcripts are highly heterogenous in R-RenCa compared to S-RenCa (Sashimi plot), indicating generation of more isoforms. Since Gpnmb promoter has E-boxes (DNA binding sites) for Mitf factor, we examined whether Mitf is responsible for Gpnmb expression using promoter-Luc reporter assays and found 4-fold higher in R-RenCa, which was lost completely in E-box-mutated promoter. In seeking transcriptional activators for Mitf gene, we found Sox10 factor to be upregulated in R-RenCa. The molecular link of Sox10-Mitf-Gpnmb was shown by the data of gene-knock down experiments that Sox10-siRNA diminished Mitf and Gpnmb expression completely, and Mitf-siRNA had no effect on Sox10 expression but diminished Gpnmb expression. We then studied mechanisms for Sox10 activation and found PDL1 signaling (triggered by Ab-crosslinking) to induce Sox10 RNA expression in tumor cells, which was 80% abrogated by deleting the RMLDVEKC cytoplasmic motif known to protect tumor cells from IFN cytotoxicity. For human relevance of Sox10-Mitf axis activation, we employed nested qRT-PCR of cell-free RNA (cfRNA) isolated from plasma of RCC patients (n=3) immediately before and after AR. SOX10 and MITF cfRNAs were increased by 2.3 ± 0.85 and 1.77 ± 0.05-fold, respectively, between these two time points. Thus, PDL1 signaling is involved in AR by dysregulating the SOX10-MITF-GPNMB cascade, indicating the potential of the cascade-targeting to break AR hindrance for ICI therapy.

Citation Format: Jin-Sung Chung, Lei Guo, Vinita Popat, Ponciano D. Cruz, Lin Xu, Hans Hammers, Kiyoshi Ariizumi. Possible involvement of PDL1 intrinsic signaling to acquired resistance to immunotherapy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 2 (Late-Breaking, Clinical Trial, and Invited Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(7_Suppl):Abstract nr LB257.