Abstract 2837: Conservation of JAK-STAT signaling in canine lymphocytes responding to human IL-6, IL-7, and IL-1 alpha
Authors: Fung King Leung , Breiner Melissa L. , Mitchell James B. , Parchment Ralph E. 
Published: March 2024

Dogs share physiological similarities with humans, positioning them as valuable models for studying the efficacy and safety of drugs and their underlying mechanisms of action. The JAK-STAT pathway, a highly conserved signaling pathway across species, including humans and dogs, presents an opportunity to investigate the therapeutic potential of cytokines that utilize this pathway.

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the functional activity of three canine cytokines on canine cells. To assess stimulation of the JAK/STAT pathway, we used a flow cytometry assay that measures phospho-STAT in activated canine or human lymphocytes in whole blood specimens. Testing of commercially available human and canine IL-6 proteins revealed that canine lymphocytes respond poorly to most canine IL-6 products, whereas all recombinant human IL-6 products stimulated STAT phosphorylation in canine lymphocytes, despite sharing low sequence similarity with canine IL-6. In human T cells, both canine IL-6 and human IL-6 stimulated STAT phosphorylation, demonstrating biological activity from the canine IL-6 products. Several JAK inhibitors inhibited cytokine-induced STAT phosphorylation in both canine and human CD4 T-cells, consistent with JAK inhibition, but targeting the IL-6 receptor with tocilizumab only blocked IL-6-induced STAT phosphorylation in human but not canine CD4 T-cells in whole blood. These findings demonstrate the potential of our assay system to assess cross-species cytokine reactivity, determine if JAK/STAT inhibitors used clinically might be useful in treating inflammatory conditions in dogs, and identify novel canine-specific inhibitors.

Additionally, we explored the induction of IL-8 by human and canine IL-1 alpha in IL-1 alpha sensitive human cells. Human IL-1 alpha failed to stimulate a canine IL-1 alpha sensitive cell line, suggesting species-specific differences in IL-1 alpha activity. Furthermore, we discovered that canine IL-7 and human IL-7 are species-specific.

In summary, this proof-of-concept study highlights the capability to assess the activation of STATs and pathway inhibition by JAK inhibitors in canine whole blood using flow cytometry. We confirmed that human IL-6 stimulates JAK/STAT signaling in canine CD4 T-cells. Our results also revealed significant differences in species cross-reactivity of human IL-6, IL-7, and IL-1 alpha, underscoring the importance of species-specific investigations. Leveraging the similarities and differences between canine and human cytokines targeting the JAK-STAT pathway can enhance drug development efforts and contribute to the advancement of safer and more effective therapies for both humans and pet dogs with similar diseases. This study was funded by NCI Contract No. 75N91019D00024.

Citation Format: King Leung Fung, Melissa L. Breiner, James B. Mitchell, Ralph E. Parchment. Conservation of JAK-STAT signaling in canine lymphocytes responding to human IL-6, IL-7, and IL-1 alpha [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 2837.