Abstract 4736: Bone marrow microenvironment-induced miR-300 expression impairs natural killer cell proliferation and antitumor activity
Authors: Trotta Rossana , Silvestri Giovannino , Stramucci Lorenzo , Guimond Martin , Marcucci Guido , Fan Xiaoxuan , Baer Maria R. , Perrotti Danilo 
Published: August 2018

Natural killer (NK) cells mediate immune responses against cancer; however, NK cell quantitative and functional defects are features of cancers including chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). As increased numbers of activated NK cells were found in CML patients in treatment-free remission, the understanding of the molecular events inhibiting NK proliferation and function may lead to the development of NK cell-based therapies against drug-resistant cancer stem cells. Because altered miRNA expression and inactivation of the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) tumor suppressor are also features of cancer, and SET-dependent PP2A inhibition is essential for NK cell function, we hypothesized that increased expression of miR-300, a miRNA with antiproliferative activity, found inhibited in CML and targeting the PP2A inhibitor SET, accounts for impaired NK cell proliferation/activity. An initial analysis revealed that miR-300 levels were significantly higher in peripheral blood (PB) CD56+CD3- NK cells from CML patients at diagnosis compared to healthy individuals. As NK cell activity is regulated by the bone marrow microenvironment (BMM), we evaluated whether hypoxic conditions and/or cell-to-cell interaction influence NK cell proliferation and cytotoxic activity by modulating miR-300 intracellular levels. A marked and significant increase in miR-300 expression was detected in NK-92 and primary CD56+CD3- NK cells exposed to low O2 levels or cultured in the presence of conditioned medium (CM) or exosomes isolated from BM-derived primary mesenchymal stromal (MSC) and HS-5 MSC cells. As expected, increased miR-300 levels correlated with decreased SET levels and markedly reduced NK cell number. Interestingly, miR-300-induced growth inhibition was rescued in NK cells treated with CM/exosomes from HS-5 cells expressing an anti-miR-300 lentivirus. Notably, qRT-PCR indicated that miR-300 was contained in MSC exosomes. Functionally, exposure to MSCs (CM or exosomes) inhibited NK cell IL-12/IL-18-induced IFN-γ production and cytotoxic activity against K562 CML-BC cells in a miR-300-dependent manner. Accordingly, miR-300 lentiviruses and/or CpG-miR-300 oligonucleotides inhibited SET expression, reduced proliferation and suppressed spontaneous cytotoxicity of NK-92 and/or primary NK cells, likely through reactivation of PP2A. Because BM hypoxic conditions and MSCs significantly contribute to decreased NK cell number and cytotoxic activity through upregulation of miR-300, its genetic or pharmacologic inhibition may result in reactivation of NK cell activity against leukemic stem/progenitor cells.

This work is supported in part by NIH-NCI RO1CA163800.

Citation Format: Rossana Trotta, Giovannino Silvestri, Lorenzo Stramucci, Martin Guimond, Guido Marcucci, Xiaoxuan Fan, Maria R. Baer, Danilo Perrotti. Bone marrow microenvironment-induced miR-300 expression impairs natural killer cell proliferation and antitumor activity [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 4736.