OR30-5 Androgen-Regulated Secreted Factors Promote Tumorigenesis and Immune Suppression in Breast Cancer
Authors: Richer Jennifer , Spoelstra Nicole , Williams Michelle , Crump Lyndsey 
Published: November 2022

Background

Breast cancer (BC) is the most diagnosed cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer-associated death in women in the United States. BCs that express the estrogen and/or progesterone receptor (ER/PR) are treated with ER-targeting endocrine therapies that effectively reduce disease burden and extend lifespan. However, up to 50% of patients with ER+BCs will experience recurrence, often at a metastatic site, within 10 years of diagnosis. Novel targeted therapies are needed to treat both metastatic ER+BC resistant to current treatment strategies and chemoresistant ER-BCs.We identified chitinase 3–like-1 (CHI3L1/BRP-39/YKL-40) and prolactin inducible protein (PIP/GCDFP-15) as androgen receptor (AR)-regulated in BC. PIP is reported to be detectable in &gt;90% of BCs, but its function in BC is not well-characterized. CHI3L1 is a glycosyl hydrolase family 18 protein member with reported roles in aging and numerous pathologies. During mammary gland involution, CHI3L1 contributes to a pro-tumorigenic wound-healing-like environment and increases macrophage infiltration. Further, CHI3L1 correlates with tumor-suppressive M2 macrophage infiltration in ER-BC. We previously reported that ER+ cells and patient-derived xenografts with activating mutations in the ESR1 gene encoding ER—a known mechanism of endocrine therapy resistance—had elevated AR and CHI3L1 gene and protein expression. Based on the above and our finding that metastatic BCs biopsies harboring ESR1 mutations exhibited increased AR expression, we hypothesized that AR regulation of CHI3L1 and PIP promote progression to metastatic disease in part through immune suppressive effects.

Methods

A ConTra(V3) transcription factor binding site analysis was performed on CHI3L1 and PIP promoters. CHI3L1 and PIP were measured via immunohistochemistry in xenograft tumors in mice treated with or without the androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence approaches were also utilized to assess CHI3L1 protein expression in DHT-treated, tamoxifen resistant (TAMR), and long term E2 deprived (LTED) ER+BC cells. CIBERSORT analysis was conducted on the Firehouse Legacy TCGA dataset. Macrophage efferocytosis assays were performed on an IncuCyte Live Cell Imaging system.

Results

We identified highly conserved AR binding sites in the CHI3L1 and PIP promoters. CHI3L1 protein was elevated in TAMR and LTED BC cells, which was further elevated in BC cells with ESR1 mutations, as well as DHT-treated cells. Further, CHI3L1 and PIP were increased in xenograft tumors after DHT treatment. CIBERSORT analysis revealed that CHI3L1 and PIP high tumors had altered immune profiles, including differential macrophage levels. Finally, CHI3L1 and PIP treatment significantly reduced macrophage efferocytosis of BC cells (p ≤ 0.0001).

Conclusions

Our work suggests that AR-mediated regulation of CHI3L1 and PIP may alter immune cell infiltration/function in BC and may be important in endocrine therapy resistant ER+BCs. Further characterization and manipulation of these AR-regulated proteins is underway to test the potential to target and reverse their immune suppressive functions.

Presentation: Tuesday, June 14, 2022 10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.