Abstract B022: A gradient expression of integrin αvβ6 expression in human cancer cells associates with TGFβ mediated immune evasion
Authors: MacDonald William J. , Srinivasan Praveen R. , Tajiknia Vida , Pinho-Schwermann Maximilian , Purcell Connor , Verschleiser Brooke , El-Deiry Wafik S. 
Published: February 2024

Our previous results demonstrate an integrin-mediated mechanism of immune evasion in colorectal cancer. Increased levels of latent TGFβ in the experimental tumor environment led to the upregulation of the immune checkpoint marker PD-L1 in HCT116WT cells, facilitating escape from T-cell killing. This effect was rescued in immune co-cultures by pretreating cancer cells with the broad-spectrum integrin inhibitor GLPG-0187. To further elucidate this system, we investigated the TGFβ-integrin axis. Integrin αvβ6 is a major activator of the inert latent TGFβ into the active, immunosuppressive form. With its high specificity within malignant tissue, inhibition of αvβ6 poses an attractive therapeutic target for disrupting TGFβ signaling while avoiding the toxicities of systemic blockade. To identify an endogenous in vitro model of integrin αvβ6-expressing cancer, computational analysis of publicly available mRNA expression data was performed to determine cancer types with high αvβ6 upregulation. This investigation revealed a strong presence of αvβ6 in pancreatic, bladder, head and neck, and cervical cancer tissues. Further in-silico work identified the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines CAL-27 and FaDu, as well as the pancreatic adenocarcinoma line Capan-2, as suitable models for in vitro study. Flow cytometry of these cell lines was performed to determine the surface expression of integrin αvβ6, revealing that protein expression correlated with the mRNA data from the previous computational studies. Capan-2 and CAL-27 exhibited high levels αvβ6 of expression, while FaDu expressed moderate levels, and HCT116WT exhibited low αvβ6 expression. These cell lines were pretreated with latent TGFβ, simulating sequestered latent TGFβ in the extracellular matrix, and subsequently co-cultured with TALL-104 T-cells. Quantitative fluorescence microscopy revealed that resistance to killing by T-cells correlated with αvβ6 expression across cell lines. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that upregulated expression of integrin αvβ6 functions as an immunosuppressive resistance mechanism by increasing tumor microenvironment levels of active TGFβ. Analysis of mRNA sequencing data from the TCGA Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Firehose database revealed that integrin αvβ6 is a strong marker of poor prognosis in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Future co-culture experiments will investigate the dynamics of TGFβ activation in the tumor microenvironment in relation to αvβ6 expression. Further in vivo studies can facilitate translation of our findings to therapeutic clinical trials.

Citation Format: William J. MacDonald, Praveen R. Srinivasan, Vida Tajiknia, Maximilian Pinho-Schwermann, Connor Purcell, Brooke Verschleiser, Wafik S. El-Deiry. A gradient expression of integrin αvβ6 expression in human cancer cells associates with TGFβ mediated immune evasion [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Translating Cancer Evolution and Data Science: The Next Frontier; 2023 Dec 3-6; Boston, Massachusetts. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(3 Suppl_2):Abstract nr B022.