Abstract B61: The genotype of serous carcinomas shapes the tumor microenvironment and modulates responses to targeted and immune checkpoint therapies
Authors: Iyer Sonia , Zhang Shuang , Farkkila Anniina , Smith Sean , Pepin David , Mohan Raghav , Xia Tian , Reinhardt Ferenc , Chavarria Tony , Hoefsmit Esmee , Poort Vera , Pathania Shailja , Zhou Yunlan , Elias Kevin M. , Hammond Paula T. , Neel Benjamin G. , Weinberg Robert A. 
Published: September 2020

Immunotherapy in ovarian cancer has been disappointing, with only ~10% of patients responding to checkpoint blockade. The determinants of this low response rate remain poorly understood and there is a pressing need for immune-competent preclinical models to elucidate the biology of immune evasion in ovarian cancer. One critical area of interest is the role of homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair in immune evasion. The types and abundance of potential antigens present on cancer cells may depend on the genotype of the tumor, its mutational burden, and the cellular state. Unfortunately, the preclinical tools required to explore the relationship between the types of DNA damage repair deficiencies and immune evasion have been lacking. To this end, we have engineered novel syngeneic mouse models from murine fallopian tube epithelium using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. These tumors capture the most common combinations of co-occurring mutations observed in homologous recombination-deficient and -proficient patient samples. These models can identify the contribution of common driver mutations, which are TP53, BRCA1, PTEN, MYC, Cyclin E1 (CCNE1), AKT2, and Kras, to the heterotypic interactions between cancer and stromal/immune compartments and examine how DNA repair proficiency contributes to immunogenicity. To validate the DNA repair proficiency of the transformed cells, we measured Rad51 nuclear focus formation after ionizing radiation (IR) and PARP inhibitor and DNA-damaging agent sensitivity. The HR-deficient cell lines had significantly fewer Rad51 nuclear foci and were more sensitive to PARP inhibition in comparison to HR-proficient cells. Initial immune/stromal analysis using flow cytometry, single-cell RNASeq (scRNASeq) transcriptomic, and immunofluorescence imaging analysis revealed substantial differences in the myeloid and T-cell regulatory compartments between HR-proficient and -deficient primary and metastatic tumors and within the ascitic fluid. Preliminary results also suggest that inhibition of the DNA damage response (DDR), checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors, potentiates antitumor effects and augments cytotoxic T-cell infiltration. In conclusion, these results reveal how common mutational drivers, and particularly those associated with HR status, determine the microenvironment of the tumor and its response to treatment. Understanding the genetic basis of these complex cellular interactions will be critical to better tailor combinations of existing targeted treatments and immunotherapies in ovarian cancer to fight this devastating disease.

Citation Format: Sonia Iyer, Shuang Zhang, Anniina Farkkila, Sean Smith, David Pepin, Raghav Mohan, Tian Xia, Ferenc Reinhardt, Tony Chavarria, Esmee Hoefsmit, Vera Poort, Shailja Pathania, Yunlan Zhou, Kevin M. Elias, Paula T. Hammond, Benjamin G. Neel, Robert A. Weinberg. The genotype of serous carcinomas shapes the tumor microenvironment and modulates responses to targeted and immune checkpoint therapies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research; 2019 Sep 13-16, 2019; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(13_Suppl):Abstract nr B61.