1. Academic Validation
  2. CD73 inhibits cGAS-STING and cooperates with CD39 to promote pancreatic cancer

CD73 inhibits cGAS-STING and cooperates with CD39 to promote pancreatic cancer

  • Cancer Immunol Res. 2022 Nov 21;CIR-22-0260. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-22-0260.
Célia Jacoberger-Foissac 1 Isabelle Cousineau 1 Yacine Bareche 2 David Allard 1 Pavel Chrobak 3 Bertrand Allard 1 Sandra Pommey 1 Nouredin Messaoudi 4 Yannic McNicoll 5 Geneviève Soucy 6 Secil Koseoglu 7 Ricard Masia 8 Andrew C Lake 8 Heewon Seo 9 Christopher B Eeles 10 Neha Rohatgi 11 Simon C Robson 12 Simon Turcotte 13 Benjamin Haibe-Kains 14 John Stagg 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
  • 2 Université de Montreal, Montreal, Canada.
  • 3 Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.
  • 4 University of Antwerp, Belgium.
  • 5 CIUSSS NIM, Montreal, Canada.
  • 6 Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
  • 7 Surface Oncology, United States.
  • 8 Surface Oncology, Cambridge, MA, United States.
  • 9 University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
  • 10 Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
  • 11 Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Canada.
  • 12 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States.
  • 13 Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
  • 14 University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract

The ectonucleotidases CD39 and CD73 catalyze extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to immunosuppressive adenosine (ADO), and as such, represent potential Cancer targets. We investigated biological impacts of CD39 and CD73 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by studying clinical samples and experimental mouse tumors. Stromal CD39 and tumoral CD73 expression significantly associated with worse survival in human PDAC samples and abolished the favorable prognostic impact associated with the presence of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells. In mouse transplanted KPC tumors, both CD39 and CD73 on myeloid cells, as well as CD73 on tumor cells, promoted polarization of infiltrating myeloid cells towards an M2-like phenotype, which enhanced tumor growth. CD39 on tumor-specific CD8+ T cells and pancreatic stellate cells also suppressed IFN production by T cells. Although therapeutic inhibition of CD39 or CD73 alone significantly delayed tumor growth in vivo, targeting of both ectonucleotidases exhibited markedly superior anti-tumor activity. CD73 expression on human and mouse PDAC tumor cells also protected against DNA damage induced by gemcitabine and irradiation. Accordingly, large-scale pharmacogenomic analyses of human PDAC cell lines revealed significant associations between CD73 expression and gemcitabine chemoresistance. Strikingly, increased DNA damage in CD73-deficient tumor cells associated with activation of the cGAS-STING pathway. Moreover, cGAS expression in mouse KPC tumor cells was required for anti-tumor activity of the CD73 Inhibitor AB680 in vivo. Our study, thus, illuminates molecular mechanisms whereby CD73 and CD39 seemingly cooperate to promote PDAC progression.

Figures
Products
  • Cat. No.
    Product Name
    Description
    Target
    Research Area
  • HY-125286
    99.81%, CD73 Inhibitor