Abstract B086: Monocytes-produced Chitinase-3-like 1 is a driver of metastatic behavior in advanced prostate cancer patients
Authors: Cavassani Karen A. , Meza Rebecca , Habiel David , Chen Jie-Fu , Montes Alexander , Tripathi Manisha , Martins Gislaine , Crother Timothy R. , Hogaboam Cory M. , You Sungyong , Bhowmick Neil , Posadas Edwin 
Published: February 2019

Purpose: The identification, functional status, distribution, and interactions of immune cells in PCa patients have yet to be fully characterized. Understanding these details could provide key insights as to how promising current and developing immunotherapies might be directed toward PCa. Recruited myeloid cells promote cancer initiation, malignant progression, metastasis, and resistance to therapy in the tumor niche. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that circulating blood monocytes from advanced prostate cancer (PCa) patients exhibit a tumor-promoting phenotype and directly influence the tumor microenvironment in response to tumor-derived signals.

Experimental Design: Monocytes from metastatic (PCa-M) and nonmetastatic (PCa-N) patient blood samples were isolated, cultured, and conditioned media (CM) was obtained. To evaluate the role of monocytes in metastatic behavior of PCa cells, in vitro invasion (via Matrigel) and motility assays (Incucyte Live Cell Analysis System) were performed using monocyte-CM. To identify the candidate PCa-M monocyte-secreted protein(s) that might be implicated in tumor progression, we analyzed the CM using Proteome Profiler Analysis (R&D). Data were validated using ELISA and qPCR.

Results: Herein, we report that CM from circulating monocytes in patients with PCa/mCRPC (metastatic castration-resistant PCa) increased motility and invasion of epithelial PCa cells. Proteome Profiler Analysis revealed that monocyte-derived CM from metastatic PCa/mCRPC patients presented high levels of YKL-40 (Chitinase-3-like 1; CHI3L1) when compared with PCa-N patients and healthy controls (HC), classified as individuals with no known history of cancer. The only described receptor for YKL-40, interleukin-13 receptor α2 (IL-13Rα2), was significantly upregulated in ARCaPm cells; accordingly, we observed that the activation of IL-13Rα2 from PCa-M CM increased the invasiveness of ARCaPm. In addition, siRNA directed against this receptor in ARCaPm cells caused a significant reduction in the invasiveness of these cells in the presence of CM from PCa-M patients.

Conclusions: We show that circulating monocytes from metastatic PCa/mCRPC patients exert a tumor-promoting role via the secretion of YKL-40, and YKL-40 demands further exploration as a possible therapeutic target in advanced PCa.

Citation Format: Karen A. Cavassani, Rebecca Meza, David Habiel, Jie-Fu Chen, Alexander Montes, Manisha Tripathi, Gislaine Martins, Timothy R. Crother, Cory M. Hogaboam, Sungyong You, Neil Bhowmick, Edwin Posadas. Monocytes-produced Chitinase-3-like 1 is a driver of metastatic behavior in advanced prostate cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Prostate Cancer: Advances in Basic, Translational, and Clinical Research; 2017 Dec 2-5; Orlando, Florida. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(16 Suppl):Abstract nr B086.