Type I interferon/IRF7 axis instigates chemotherapy-induced immunological dormancy in breast cancer

Neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapies provide survival benefits to breast cancer patients, in particular in estrogen receptor negative (ER-) cancers, by reducing rates of recurrences. It is assumed that the benefits of (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy are due to the killing of disseminated, residual cancer cells, however, there is no formal evidence for it. Here, we provide experimental evidence that ER- breast cancer cells that survived high-dose Doxorubicin and Methotrexate based chemotherapies elicit a state of immunological dormancy. Hallmark of this dormant phenotype is the sustained activation of the IRF7/IFN-beta/IFNAR axis subsisting beyond chemotherapy treatment. Upregulation of IRF7 in treated cancer cells promoted resistance to chemotherapy, reduced cell growth and induced switching of the response from a myeloid derived suppressor cell-dominated immune response to a CD4(+)/CD8(+) T cell-dependent anti-tumor response. IRF7 silencing in tumor cells or systemic blocking of IFNAR reversed the state of dormancy, while spontaneous escape from dormancy was associated with loss of IFN-beta production. Presence of IFN-beta in the circulation of ER- breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant Epirubicin chemotherapy correlated with a significantly longer distant metastasis-free survival. These findings establish chemotherapy-induced immunological dormancy in ER- breast cancer as a novel concept for (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy activity, and implicate sustained activation of the IRF7/IFN-beta/IFNAR pathway in this effect. Further, IFN-beta emerges as a potential predictive biomarker and therapeutic molecule to improve outcome of ER- breast cancer patients treated with (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy.Peer reviewe

Les cellules Myéloïdes Dans le Microenvironnement Tumoral : Rôle de FasL

Fas-FasL pathway is the major pathway of apoptosis, the role of which is essential for the homeostasis of hematopoietic cells and peripheral tolerance. The project of my dissertation is to investigate the role of FasL in anti-tumor response, particulary the role of its expression on myeloid cells i.e., macrophages and myeloid derived suppressor cells. Fasl KO mice are characterized by an accumulation of different populations of hematopoietic cells in the peripheral lymphoid organs. However, they do not develop spontaneous tumors. Interestingly, our results show that when they are transplanted by tumor cells, their survival rate is significantly reduced in comparison to control mice, suggesting the implication of FasL in the anti-tumor response. Detailed characterization of the distribution of myeloid cells in Fasl KO mice injected with tumor cells shows a differential distribution of the sub populations of Gr1+ cells, an M-MDSC accumulation in the spleen. Furthermore, the enrichment of tumor infiltrate by suppressive macrophages in Fasl KO mice was observed. These macrophages, regardless of genotype, have a high arginase and iNOS activity and they inhibit the proliferation of T cells in vitro. Thus, the higher mortality in Fasl KO mice could in part be explained by the enrichment of tumor infiltrate by TAM in mice that are FasL deficient.To determine whether the accumulation of FasL deficient immunosuppressive myeloid cells is specific to a tumor environment or is the reflection of an inflammatory condition, we examined the phenotype of macrophages in an experimental inflammation induced by thioglycollate. The results show that CD11b + F480 + macrophages, which are recruited to the site of inflammation, when they are FasL deficient, they upregulate anti-inflammatory genes such as IL-10, Arg1, CCL17. More detailed characterization of this population of macrophages shows that the population responsible for the suppressor phenotype is F480+CD115+IL4R+. In Fasl KO mice, the percentage of F480+CD115+IL4R+ macrophages is significantly increased compared with control mice. Functional analysis of CD115+ population shows that they inhibit proliferation of activated T cells and their IFN-g production. These functional characteristics favor an anti-inflammatory phenotype of these macrophages, suggesting that when deficient in FasL, their recruitment to the site of inflammation is more important.Taken together, these results suggest that the expression of FasL on myeloid cells plays a significant role in their bias towards a pro inflammatory phenotype pointing toward a new class of approaches to raising immunosuppression for more effective immunotherapy.La voie Fas-FasL est la voie majeure d’apoptose dont le rôle est indispensable pour l’homéostasie des cellules hématopoïétiques et la tolérance périphérique. Mon projet de thèse consiste à étudier le rôle de FasL dans la réponse anti tumorale, notamment le rôle de son expression sur les cellules myéloïdes, en l’occurrence les macrophages et les cellules myéloïdes suppressives.Les souris Fasl KO sont caractérisées par une accumulation des différentes populations de cellules hématopoïétiques dans les organes lymphoïdes périphériques. Cependant, elles ne développent pas de tumeurs spontanées. De façon intéressante, nos résultats montrent que lors qu’elles sont transplantées par les cellules tumorales, leur survie est significativement diminuée par rapport aux souris contrôles (Fasl fl/fl), ce qui suggère un rôle de FasL dans la réponse anti-tumorale. Une caractérisation fine de la répartition des cellules myéloïdes chez les souris Fasl KO porteuses de tumeur, montre une répartition différentielle des cellules Gr1+, par une accumulation des M-MDSC, dans la rate de ces souris. En plus, un enrichissement de l’infiltrat tumoral par les macrophages TAM chez les souris Fasl KO a été observé. Ces macrophages, indépendamment de génotype exècrent une forte activité d’arginase et iNOS et une inhibition de la prolifération des cellules T in vitro. Ainsi, la mortalité plus importante chez les souris Fasl KO pourrait, en partie, être associée à cet enrichissement des TAM dans l’infiltrat des souris déficientes en FasL.Afin de déterminer si cette accumulation des cellules myéloïdes immunosuppressives déficientes en FasL est spécifique d’un environnement tumoral ou le reflet d’un état inflammatoire, nous avons examiné le phénotype des macrophages dans un modèle d’inflammation induite par le thioglycollate. Les résultats montrent que les macrophages CD11b+F480+, recrutés sur le site de l’inflammation, lorsqu’elles sont déficientes en FasL, sur-expriment les gènes anti-inflammatoires comme IL-10, Arg1, CCL17. La caractérisation plus fine de cette population de macrophages a montré que la population responsable de ce phénotype suppressive est F480+CD115+IL-4R+. Chez les souris Fasl KO, le pourcentage des macrophages F480+CD115+IL-4R+ est significativement augmenté en comparaison avec les souris contrôles. L’analyse fonctionnelle de cette population CD115+ a montré que ces cellules, inhibent la prolifération et la production d’IFN- des cellules T activées. Ces caractéristiques fonctionnelles sont en faveur d’un phénotype anti-inflammatoire de ces macrophages, qui lorsqu’ils sont déficients en FasL, leur recrutement sur le site de l’inflammation est plus important.L’ensemble de ces résultats suggère que l’expression de FasL sur les cellules myéloïdes pourrait jouer un rôle dans leur polarisation vers un phénotype pro inflammatoire. Ainsi, ce travail pourrait apporter de nouvelles approches de levée de l’immunosuppression pour une immunothérapie efficace

Myeloid cells in tumoral microenvironnement : Rôle of Fas ligand

La voie Fas-FasL est la voie majeure d’apoptose dont le rôle est indispensable pour l’homéostasie des cellules hématopoïétiques et la tolérance périphérique. Mon projet de thèse consiste à étudier le rôle de FasL dans la réponse anti tumorale, notamment le rôle de son expression sur les cellules myéloïdes, en l’occurrence les macrophages et les cellules myéloïdes suppressives.Les souris Fasl KO sont caractérisées par une accumulation des différentes populations de cellules hématopoïétiques dans les organes lymphoïdes périphériques. Cependant, elles ne développent pas de tumeurs spontanées. De façon intéressante, nos résultats montrent que lors qu’elles sont transplantées par les cellules tumorales, leur survie est significativement diminuée par rapport aux souris contrôles (Fasl fl/fl), ce qui suggère un rôle de FasL dans la réponse anti-tumorale. Une caractérisation fine de la répartition des cellules myéloïdes chez les souris Fasl KO porteuses de tumeur, montre une répartition différentielle des cellules Gr1+, par une accumulation des M-MDSC, dans la rate de ces souris. En plus, un enrichissement de l’infiltrat tumoral par les macrophages TAM chez les souris Fasl KO a été observé. Ces macrophages, indépendamment de génotype exècrent une forte activité d’arginase et iNOS et une inhibition de la prolifération des cellules T in vitro. Ainsi, la mortalité plus importante chez les souris Fasl KO pourrait, en partie, être associée à cet enrichissement des TAM dans l’infiltrat des souris déficientes en FasL.Afin de déterminer si cette accumulation des cellules myéloïdes immunosuppressives déficientes en FasL est spécifique d’un environnement tumoral ou le reflet d’un état inflammatoire, nous avons examiné le phénotype des macrophages dans un modèle d’inflammation induite par le thioglycollate. Les résultats montrent que les macrophages CD11b+F480+, recrutés sur le site de l’inflammation, lorsqu’elles sont déficientes en FasL, sur-expriment les gènes anti-inflammatoires comme IL-10, Arg1, CCL17. La caractérisation plus fine de cette population de macrophages a montré que la population responsable de ce phénotype suppressive est F480+CD115+IL-4R+. Chez les souris Fasl KO, le pourcentage des macrophages F480+CD115+IL-4R+ est significativement augmenté en comparaison avec les souris contrôles. L’analyse fonctionnelle de cette population CD115+ a montré que ces cellules, inhibent la prolifération et la production d’IFN- des cellules T activées. Ces caractéristiques fonctionnelles sont en faveur d’un phénotype anti-inflammatoire de ces macrophages, qui lorsqu’ils sont déficients en FasL, leur recrutement sur le site de l’inflammation est plus important.L’ensemble de ces résultats suggère que l’expression de FasL sur les cellules myéloïdes pourrait jouer un rôle dans leur polarisation vers un phénotype pro inflammatoire. Ainsi, ce travail pourrait apporter de nouvelles approches de levée de l’immunosuppression pour une immunothérapie efficace.Fas-FasL pathway is the major pathway of apoptosis, the role of which is essential for the homeostasis of hematopoietic cells and peripheral tolerance. The project of my dissertation is to investigate the role of FasL in anti-tumor response, particulary the role of its expression on myeloid cells i.e., macrophages and myeloid derived suppressor cells. Fasl KO mice are characterized by an accumulation of different populations of hematopoietic cells in the peripheral lymphoid organs. However, they do not develop spontaneous tumors. Interestingly, our results show that when they are transplanted by tumor cells, their survival rate is significantly reduced in comparison to control mice, suggesting the implication of FasL in the anti-tumor response. Detailed characterization of the distribution of myeloid cells in Fasl KO mice injected with tumor cells shows a differential distribution of the sub populations of Gr1+ cells, an M-MDSC accumulation in the spleen. Furthermore, the enrichment of tumor infiltrate by suppressive macrophages in Fasl KO mice was observed. These macrophages, regardless of genotype, have a high arginase and iNOS activity and they inhibit the proliferation of T cells in vitro. Thus, the higher mortality in Fasl KO mice could in part be explained by the enrichment of tumor infiltrate by TAM in mice that are FasL deficient.To determine whether the accumulation of FasL deficient immunosuppressive myeloid cells is specific to a tumor environment or is the reflection of an inflammatory condition, we examined the phenotype of macrophages in an experimental inflammation induced by thioglycollate. The results show that CD11b + F480 + macrophages, which are recruited to the site of inflammation, when they are FasL deficient, they upregulate anti-inflammatory genes such as IL-10, Arg1, CCL17. More detailed characterization of this population of macrophages shows that the population responsible for the suppressor phenotype is F480+CD115+IL4R+. In Fasl KO mice, the percentage of F480+CD115+IL4R+ macrophages is significantly increased compared with control mice. Functional analysis of CD115+ population shows that they inhibit proliferation of activated T cells and their IFN-g production. These functional characteristics favor an anti-inflammatory phenotype of these macrophages, suggesting that when deficient in FasL, their recruitment to the site of inflammation is more important.Taken together, these results suggest that the expression of FasL on myeloid cells plays a significant role in their bias towards a pro inflammatory phenotype pointing toward a new class of approaches to raising immunosuppression for more effective immunotherapy

Chemotherapy-induced immunological breast cancer dormancy: a new function for old drugs?

Breast cancer remains the main cause of cancer-related mortality for women world-wide. Main cause of death is the development of therapy-resistant metastases. Relapses occur with a bimodal temporal distribution, with a first peak at 1-2 years after initial therapy and a second peak 2-3 years later. This discontinuous growth kinetics is consistent with the notion that disseminated cancer cells can remain dormant over a prolonged period of time before resuming growth. How cancer cells enter, sustain and exit dormancy, are unanswered questions with relevance to cancer biology, monitoring and therapy. Investigating mechanisms of breast cancer dormancy remains challenging, as in patients the condition is elusive and experimentally there are only a few models that recapitulate the clinical condition. Thus, developing new models to identify clinically relevant mechanisms and candidate therapeutic targets may open new avenues for novel therapies to induce and prolong dormancy. We have observed that cells surviving chemotherapy can enter a state of immunological dormancy. Using this model, we identified IRF-7/Interferon type I/IFNRA as signaling axis essential for this effect. Here we will review concepts and recent developments in cancer metastasis and dormancy with emphasis on breast cancer, and elaborate strategies to exploit them therapeutically

A Study of Hypermethylated Circulating Tumor DNA as a Universal Colorectal Cancer Biomarker

International audienceBACKGROUND:Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a good candidate for tracking tumor dynamics in different cancer types, potentially avoiding repeated tumor biopsies. Many different genes can be mutated within a tumor, complicating procedures for tumor monitoring, even with highly sensitive next-generation sequencing (NGS) strategies. Droplet-based digital PCR (dPCR) is a highly sensitive and quantitative procedure, allowing detection of very low amounts of circulating tumor genetic material, but can be limited in the total number of target loci monitored.METHODS:We analyzed hypermethylation of 3 genes, by use of droplet-based dPCR in different stages of colorectal cancer (CRC), to identify universal markers for tumor follow-up.RESULTS:Hypermethylation of WIF1 (WNT inhibitory factor 1) and NPY (neuropeptide Y) genes was significantly higher in tumor tissue compared to normal tissue, independently of tumor stage. All tumor tissues appeared positive for one of the 2 markers. Methylated ctDNA (MetctDNA) was detected in 80% of metastatic CRC and 45% of localized CRC. For samples with detectable mutations in ctDNA, MetctDNA and mutant ctDNA (MutctDNA) fractions were correlated. During follow-up of different stage CRC patients, MetctDNA changes allowed monitoring of tumor evolution.CONCLUSIONS:These results indicate that MetctDNA could be used as a universal surrogate marker for tumor follow-up in CRC patients, and monitoring MetctDNA by droplet-based dPCR could avoid the need for monitoring mutations