Abstract 1658: Gemcitabine impacts expression of antigen presentation proteins by pancreatic cancer cells
Authors: Larson Alaina C. , Knoche Shelby M. , Solheim Joyce C. 
Published: July 2021

Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the deadliest type of cancers with a 5-year overall survival rate of 10%. A standard chemotherapy approach for pancreatic cancer is treatment with gemcitabine. Gemcitabine is also considered a potential immunomodulatory agent, capable of increasing human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I. HLA class I is a heterodimer of a highly polymorphic alpha heavy chain (HLA-A, -B, or -C) and the light chain beta-2-microglobulin (β2m) that is loaded with an endogenous antigen in the endoplasmic reticulum. The pool of antigens available for HLA class I loading is selected by the transporter associated with antigen processing protein (TAP). However, HLA class I peptide loading can occur independently of TAP, causing the HLA class I molecules to present a different antigen pool to cytotoxic T cells. Because many cancers downregulate HLA class I and prevent intracellular tumor antigens from being presented to cytotoxic T cells, understanding more about gemcitabine's capability to increase HLA class I expression is of great importance.

Methods: Alterations in HLA class I and TAP protein levels were monitored via western blot analysis in a pancreatic cancer cell line (S2-013) in both a time and dose-dependent manner. The time points and dosages which solicited the largest increase in HLA class I expression were also examined by flow cytometry.

Results: Administration of gemcitabine to S2-013 pancreatic cancer cells increased total HLA class I α heavy chain protein, with maximal increases of 141% (HLA-A) and 323% HLA-B/C. Flow cytometry revealed a 3-fold increase in HLA-A2 surface expression post-gemcitabine treatment and a maximal 2-fold increase in HLA-B/C expression at the corresponding gemcitabine concentration, but differing time point. Both western blot and flow cytometry analyses indicate HLA-B/C generally has its largest increase in expression at an earlier time point than HLA-A. In addition, high concentrations of gemcitabine that promoted HLA-A,B,C surface expression were associated with a large decrease in TAP total protein.

Conclusion: In summary, gemcitabine demonstrates an ability to stimulate expression of HLA class I in pancreatic cancer cells, with the rate dependent on the HLA class I allele. Because gemcitabine treatment increases HLA class I surface expression with a simultaneous decrease in TAP expression, our findings indicate that gemcitabine may induce TAP-independent peptide loading of HLA class I. These results suggest the potential for gemcitabine treatment as a priming mechanism to enhance immunotherapy efficacy and potentially alter vaccination strategies in pancreatic cancer.

Citation Format: Alaina C. Larson, Shelby M. Knoche, Joyce C. Solheim. Gemcitabine impacts expression of antigen presentation proteins by pancreatic cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1658.