Abstract 3146: Versican proteolysis: A novel immunostimulatory component of CD8+ T cell responses to colorectal cancer
Authors: Emmerich Philip B. , Payne Susan N. , Maloney Connor J. , Pitera Rosabella T. , Rainiero Hanna , Sha Gioia , Papadas Athanasios T. , Pagenkopf Adam C. , Bassetti Michael F. , Matkowskyj Kristina A. , Asimakopoulos Fotis , Deming Dustin A. 
Published: August 2018

Background: Infiltration of CD8+ T cells has shown important prognostic implications in colorectal cancers (CRC). Our group has recently correlated proteolysis of an extracellular matrix proteoglycan, versican (VCAN), with infiltration of CRCs by CD8+ T cells. Cleavage by ADAMTS proteases generates a bioactive fragment of versican, versikine (VKINE). VKINE stimulates Batf3-driven dendritic cell activation and maturation, which are critical for immunotherapy efficacy.

Methods: CT26 murine CRC cells were transfected to constitutively express VKINE. BALB/c mice between 50 and 70 days of age were orthotopically injected with either 105 empty vector (CT26-EV) or VKINE-expressing (CT26-VKINE) cells. Tumor growth was tracked weekly with colonoscopy and growth rate assessed using percent lumen occlusion. Mice were euthanized and dissected once moribund. Tissues were formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE). Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed using standard procedures. Additionally, FFPE samples from human CRC liver metastases (n=9) were obtained under the University of Wisconsin Translational Science Biocore Institutional Review Board-approved protocol and IHC performed for VCAN, VKINE and CD8. The number of CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) per high-powered field (HPF) within the malignant epithelium was calculated using four separate 400x magnification fields of view.

Results: CT26-EV and CT26-VKINE injected mice both had a ~70% tumor initiation rate and these tumors averaged ~50% lumen occlusion by 14 days post injection. Survival data for each group were compared using a log-rank test. A trend towards improved survival was observed in those mice injected with CT26-VKINE (average survival of 27 days for CT26-VKINE compared to 22 days for CT26-EV, p=0.41, n=13). The average number of CD8+ TILs for each tumor were compared. For mice with CT26-VKINE, the average number of CD8+ TILs per HPF was 7.6, compared to 4.7 for mice with CT26-EV (p=0.39).

Human CRC liver metastases were analyzed for VCAN, VKINE, and CD8+ T cells. Several lesions had little to no VCAN staining, whereas others had intense pockets or peripheral staining. VKINE staining was more abundant in metastatic CRC lesions than in primary lesions. CD8+ T cells were excluded in the setting of increased VCAN staining and infiltration was noted specifically in areas of VCAN proteolysis (low VCAN and high VKINE staining). These areas of proteolysis were more often present at the tumor margin and correlated with ADAMTS1 expression.

Conclusions: Immunotherapies offer a unique treatment option for cancer patients, but their use is limited in CRC. VCAN proteolysis and the generation of bioactive VKINE has potential to influence the ability of CD8+ T cells to infiltrate the tumor in both primary and metastatic CRC, indicating the potential to utilize VCAN and VKINE as immune biomarkers or therapeutic targets.

Citation Format: Philip B. Emmerich, Susan N. Payne, Connor J. Maloney, Rosabella T. Pitera, Hanna Rainiero, Gioia Sha, Athanasios T. Papadas, Adam C. Pagenkopf, Michael F. Bassetti, Kristina A. Matkowskyj, Fotis Asimakopoulos, Dustin A. Deming. Versican proteolysis: A novel immunostimulatory component of CD8+ T cell responses to colorectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3146.