Abstract C072: Cytokine modulation can suppress an EMT-like phenotype in pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers with a 5-year survival rate of only 11% and approximately half of patients present with distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis. PDAC is accompanied by pronounced alterations in stromal responses and immune surveillance programs, which are now recognized as some of the major drivers in PDAC tumor evolution. The role of immune modulators in driving metastatic potential in PDAC is poorly understood. We find that low expression levels of cytokine IL-23 in patients with PDAC correlate with poor differentiation status of these tumors, and thus predict poor outcomes. Consistent with this observation, we have found that a loss of host-derived IL-23 in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer promotes an EMT-like phenotype. The tumor morphology is altered and appears to be less differentiated. Additionally, we see a significant increase in the number of tumor cells expressing Zeb1 and a decrease in E-cadherin expression. We also find an increase in metastatic capacity in the absence of IL-23 in the tumor stroma. Single cell RNA sequencing of tumors injected orthotopically into IL-23 knockout mice reveals clusters of tumor cells with increases in EMT-associated genes such as Zeb1 and Vimentin and concurrent decreases in gastric identity genes. Overall, our findings indicate that IL-23 plays a role in suppressing an EMT-like phenotype in pancreatic cancer with one mechanism being through regulation of gastric lineage genes. Citation Format: Whitney Bell, Nancy Kren, Yan Wang, Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta. Cytokine modulation can suppress an EMT-like phenotype in pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer; 2022 Sep 13-16; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(22 Suppl):Abstract nr C072.