Abstract 4266: Evaluation of integrin alpha v beta 5 as a novel target for non-small cell lung cancer via tumor intrinsic and host immune regulation
Authors: Kahangi Bitta P. , Crosson William P. , Lee Ji-Ann , Dumitras Camelia , Zhang Tianhao , Salehi-Rad Ramin , Tran Linh M. , Palazzolo Michael , Conklin Dylan , Dubinett Steven M. , Liu Bin 
Published: March 2024

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide, with the most prevalent subtype being non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). As only a subset of patients exhibits durable clinical responses to current treatments, including targeted therapy and immunotherapy, new treatment options are needed. Integrins (ITGs) are a diverse class of heterodimeric, transmembrane receptors that bind extracellularly to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and intracellularly to the cytoskeleton to integrate signals bi-directionally between the extracellular environment and cell interior. One of 18 α subunits is paired with one of 6 β subunits to create the 24 known αβ ITGs in mammals. ITGs are expressed at low levels in normal tissue and can be upregulated in cancer cells in response to stress signals in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Altered expression of ITGs is associated with enhanced cell proliferation, metastasis, and immune evasion. Targeting of the diverse ITG family members by inhibitors not specific to individual isoforms has obscured understanding of potentially distinct functions of each heterodimer. Through data mining of a genome wide CRISPR screening publicly available at the DepMap portal, we have identified a novel cancer dependency to ITG αvβ5 in approximately 40% of NSCLC cell lines. Using small molecule ITG αv inhibitors, we have mirrored sensitivity of NSCLC cell lines to their ITG αvβ5 CRISPR scores, suggesting that these inhibitors function specifically through ITG αvβ5 in cell lines. RNA sequencing analysis following αvβ5 inhibition in human NSCLC cell lines revealed downregulation of YAP and E2F1 target genes with alterations in gene ontologies associated with cell cycling and cell death in sensitive, but not resistant, lines. This is consistent with the known function of YAP driving gene transcription promoting cell proliferation and survival, and of E2F1 being implicated in regulating the proliferation and self-renewal of cancer stem cell (CSC). Additional changes to immune processes, specifically perturbations to interferon (IFN) pathways, were identified in response to ITG αvβ5 inhibition, suggesting that ITG αvβ5 may play a role in host anti-tumor immune responses. Pharmacological inhibition of ITG αvβ5 also led to a reduction of tumor growth in NSCLC murine models accompanied with increased CD8 T cell activation. These findings support ITG αvβ5 as a unique target of cancer dependency in NSCLC whose inhibition promotes anti-tumor responses through both tumor intrinsic and host immune regulatory mechanisms.

Citation Format: Bitta P. Kahangi, William P. Crosson, Ji-Ann Lee, Camelia Dumitras, Tianhao Zhang, Ramin Salehi-Rad, Linh M. Tran, Michael Palazzolo, Dylan Conklin, Steven M. Dubinett, Bin Liu. Evaluation of integrin alpha v beta 5 as a novel target for non-small cell lung cancer via tumor intrinsic and host immune regulation [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 4266.