Tumor associated macrophages as key contributors and targets in current and future therapies for melanoma.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the success of immunotherapies for melanoma in recent years, there remains a significant proportion of patients who do not yet derive benefit from available treatments. Immunotherapies currently licensed for clinical use target the adaptive immune system, focussing on Tcell interactions and functions. However, the most prevalent immune cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME) of melanoma are macrophages, a diverse immune cell subset displaying high plasticity, to which no current therapies are yet directly targeted. Macrophages have been shown not only to activate the adaptive immune response, and enhance cancer cell killing, but, when influenced by factors within the TME of melanoma, these cells also promote melanoma tumorigenesis and metastasis. AREAS COVERED: We present a review of the most up-to-date literatureavailable on PubMed, focussing on studies from within the last 10 years. We also include data from ongoing and recent clinical trials targeting macrophages in melanoma listed on clinicaltrials.gov. EXPERT OPINION: Understanding the multifaceted role of macrophages in melanoma, including their interactions with immune and cancer cells, the influence of current therapies on macrophage phenotype and functions and how macrophages could be targeted with novel treatment approaches, are all critical for improving outcomes for patients with melanoma.

Organelle adaptations in response to mechanical forces during tumour dissemination.

Cell migration plays a pivotal role in various biological processes including cancer dissemination and successful metastasis, where the role of mechanical signals is increasingly acknowledged. This review focuses on the intricate mechanisms through which cancer cells modulate their migratory strategies via organelle adaptations in response to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Specifically, the nucleus and mitochondria emerge as pivotal mediators in this process. These organelles serve as sensors, translating mechanical stimuli into rapid metabolic alterations that sustain cell migration. Importantly, prolonged exposure to such stimuli can induce transcriptional or epigenetic changes, ultimately enhancing metastatic traits. Deciphering the intricate interplay between ECM properties and organelle adaptations not only advances our understanding of cytoskeletal dynamics but also holds promise for the development of innovative anti-metastatic therapeutic strategies.

CD73 controls Myosin II-driven invasion, metastasis, and immunosuppression in amoeboid pancreatic cancer cells.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a very poor prognosis because of its high propensity to metastasize and its immunosuppressive microenvironment. Using a panel of pancreatic cancer cell lines, three-dimensional (3D) invasion systems, microarray gene signatures, microfluidic devices, mouse models, and intravital imaging, we demonstrate that ROCK-Myosin II activity in PDAC cells supports a transcriptional program conferring amoeboid invasive and immunosuppressive traits and in vivo metastatic abilities. Moreover, we find that immune checkpoint CD73 is highly expressed in amoeboid PDAC cells and drives their invasive, metastatic, and immunomodulatory traits. Mechanistically, CD73 activates RhoA-ROCK-Myosin II downstream of PI3K. Tissue microarrays of human PDAC biopsies combined with bioinformatic analysis reveal that rounded-amoeboid invasive cells with high CD73-ROCK-Myosin II activity and their immunosuppressive microenvironment confer poor prognosis to patients. We propose targeting amoeboid PDAC cells as a therapeutic strategy.

AMPK is a mechano-metabolic sensor linking cell adhesion and mitochondrial dynamics to Myosin-dependent cell migration.

Cell migration is crucial for cancer dissemination. We find that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) controls cell migration by acting as an adhesion sensing molecular hub. In 3-dimensional matrices, fast-migrating amoeboid cancer cells exert low adhesion/low traction linked to low ATP/AMP, leading to AMPK activation. In turn, AMPK plays a dual role controlling mitochondrial dynamics and cytoskeletal remodelling. High AMPK activity in low adhering migratory cells, induces mitochondrial fission, resulting in lower oxidative phosphorylation and lower mitochondrial ATP. Concurrently, AMPK inactivates Myosin Phosphatase, increasing Myosin II-dependent amoeboid migration. Reducing adhesion or mitochondrial fusion or activating AMPK induces efficient rounded-amoeboid migration. AMPK inhibition suppresses metastatic potential of amoeboid cancer cells in vivo, while a mitochondrial/AMPK-driven switch is observed in regions of human tumours where amoeboid cells are disseminating. We unveil how mitochondrial dynamics control cell migration and suggest that AMPK is a mechano-metabolic sensor linking energetics and the cytoskeleton.

LAP1 supports nuclear adaptability during constrained melanoma cell migration and invasion.

Metastasis involves dissemination of cancer cells away from a primary tumour and colonization at distal sites. During this process, the mechanical properties of the nucleus must be tuned since they pose a challenge to the negotiation of physical constraints imposed by the microenvironment and tissue structure. We discovered increased expression of the inner nuclear membrane protein LAP1 in metastatic melanoma cells, at the invasive front of human primary melanoma tumours and in metastases. Human cells express two LAP1 isoforms (LAP1B and LAP1C), which differ in their amino terminus. Here, using in vitro and in vivo models that recapitulate human melanoma progression, we found that expression of the shorter isoform, LAP1C, supports nuclear envelope blebbing, constrained migration and invasion by allowing a weaker coupling between the nuclear envelope and the nuclear lamina. We propose that LAP1 renders the nucleus highly adaptable and contributes to melanoma aggressiveness.

Preclinical to clinical utility of ROCK inhibitors in cancer.

ROCK belongs to the AGC family of Ser/Thr protein kinases that are involved in many cellular processes. ROCK-driven actomyosin contractility regulates cytoskeletal dynamics underpinning cell migration, proliferation, and survival in many cancer types. ROCK1/2 play key protumorigenic roles in several subtypes and stages of cancer development. Therefore, successfully targeting ROCK and its downstream effectors presents an interesting avenue for cancer treatment. Because local use of ROCK inhibitors will reduce the side effects of systemic administration, we propose different therapeutic strategies and latest-generation ROCK inhibitors for use in the clinic.

Influencing tumor-associated macrophages in malignant melanoma with monoclonal antibodies.

The application of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for the treatment of melanoma has significantly improved the clinical management of this malignancy over the last decade. Currently approved mAbs for melanoma enhance T cell effector immune responses by blocking immune checkpoint molecules PD-L1/PD-1 and CTLA-4. However, more than half of patients do not benefit from treatment. Targeting the prominent myeloid compartment within the tumor microenvironment, and in particular the ever-abundant tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), may be a promising strategy to complement existing therapies and enhance treatment success. TAMs are a highly diverse and plastic subset of cells whose pro-tumor properties can support melanoma growth, angiogenesis and invasion. Understanding of their diversity, plasticity and multifaceted roles in cancer forms the basis for new promising TAM-centered treatment strategies. There are multiple mechanisms by which macrophages can be targeted with antibodies in a therapeutic setting, including by depletion, inhibition of specific pro-tumor properties, differential polarization to pro-inflammatory states and enhancement of antitumor immune functions. Here, we discuss TAMs in melanoma, their interactions with checkpoint inhibitor antibodies and emerging mAbs targeting different aspects of TAM biology and their potential to be translated to the clinic.

Protocol to drive human monocyte-to-macrophage polarization in vitro using tumor conditioned media.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are key contributors to antitumor immunity. Here, we present a protocol to drive human monocyte-macrophage differentiation using tumor-derived conditioned media, followed by phenotypic and functional characterization of TAMs in vitro. We describe CD14+ cell isolation from healthy human blood, and detail the procedure to induce macrophage polarization. Finally, we outline morphological assessment of macrophages, and validation of their functional behaviors with a tumor cell killing assay. This translatable-based approach can be applied to different cancer cell types. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Georgouli et al. (2019).

Early functional mismatch between breast cancer cells and their tumour microenvironment suppresses long term growth.

Cancer cells thrive when embedded in a fine-tuned cellular and extracellular environment or tumour microenvironment (TME). There is a general understanding of a co-evolution between cancer cells and their surrounding TME, pointing at a functional connection between cancer cells characteristics and the perturbations induced in their surrounding tissue. However, it has never been formally proven whether this functional connection needs to be set from the start or if aggressive cancer cells always dominate their microenvironmental any point in time. This would require a dedicated experimental setting where malignant cells are challenged to grow in a different TME from the one they would naturally create. Here we generated an experimental setting where we transiently perturb the secretory profile of aggressive breast cancer cells without affecting their intrinsic growth ability, which led to the initial establishment of an atypical TME. Interestingly, even if initially tumours are formed, this atypical TME evolves to impair long term in vivo cancer growth. Using a combination of in vivo transcriptomics, protein arrays and in vitro co-cultures, we found that the atypical TME culminates in the infiltration of macrophages with STAT1high activity. These macrophages show strong anti-tumoural functions which reduce long-term tumour growth, despite lacking canonical M1 markers. Importantly, gene signatures of the mesenchymal compartment of the TME, as well as the anti-tumoural macrophages, show striking prognostic power that correlates with less aggressive human breast cancers.

Suppression of Endothelial Cell FAK Expression Reduces Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Metastasis after Gemcitabine Treatment.

Despite substantial advances in the treatment of solid cancers, resistance to therapy remains a major obstacle to prolonged progression-free survival. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive cancers, with a high level of liver metastasis. Primary PDAC is highly hypoxic, and metastases are resistant to first-line treatment, including gemcitabine. Recent studies have indicated that endothelial cell (EC) focal adhesion kinase (FAK) regulates DNA-damaging therapy-induced angiocrine factors and chemosensitivity in primary tumor models. Here, we show that inducible loss of EC-FAK in both orthotopic and spontaneous mouse models of PDAC is not sufficient to affect primary tumor growth but reduces liver and lung metastasis load and improves survival rates in gemcitabine-treated, but not untreated, mice. EC-FAK loss did not affect primary tumor angiogenesis, tumor blood vessel leakage, or early events in metastasis, including the numbers of circulating tumor cells, tumor cell homing, or metastatic seeding. Phosphoproteomics analysis showed a downregulation of the MAPK, RAF, and PAK signaling pathways in gemcitabine-treated FAK-depleted ECs compared with gemcitabine-treated wild-type ECs. Moreover, low levels of EC-FAK correlated with increased survival and reduced relapse in gemcitabine-treated patients with PDAC, supporting the clinical relevance of these findings. Altogether, we have identified a new role of EC-FAK in regulating PDAC metastasis upon gemcitabine treatment that impacts outcome. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings establish the potential utility of combinatorial endothelial cell FAK targeting together with gemcitabine in future clinical applications to control metastasis in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

The amoeboid state as part of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition programme.

Cell migration is essential for many biological processes, while abnormal cell migration is characteristic of cancer cells. Epithelial cells become motile by undergoing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and mesenchymal cells increase migration speed by adopting amoeboid features. This review highlights how amoeboid behaviour is not merely a migration mode but rather a cellular state - within the EMT spectra - by which cancer cells survive, invade and colonise challenging microenvironments. Molecular biomarkers and physicochemical triggers associated with amoeboid behaviour are discussed, including an amoeboid associated tumour microenvironment. We reflect on how amoeboid characteristics support metastasis and how their liabilities could turn into therapeutic opportunities.

Location, location, location: Melanoma cells "living at the edge".

Abnormal cell migration and invasion underlie metastatic dissemination, one of the major challenges for cancer treatment. Melanoma is one of the deadliest and most aggressive forms of skin cancer due in part to its migratory and metastatic potential. Cancer cells use a variety of migratory strategies regulated by cytoskeletal remodelling. In particular, we discuss the importance of amoeboid invasive melanoma strategies, since they have been identified at the edge of human melanomas. We hypothesize that the presence of amoeboid melanoma cells will favour tumor progression since they are invasive and metastatic; they support immunosuppression; they harbour cancer stem cell properties and they are involved in therapy resistance. The Rho-ROCK-Myosin II pathway is key to maintain amoeboid melanoma invasion but this pathway is further regulated by pro-tumorigenic/pro-metastatic/pro-survival signalling pathways such as JAK-STAT3, TGFß-SMAD, NF-κB, Wnt11/5-FDZ7 and BRAFV600E -MEK-ERK. These pathways support amoeboid behaviour and are actionable in the clinic. After melanoma wide surgical margin removal, we propose that possible remaining melanoma cells should be eradicated using anti-amoeboid therapies.

Multiplex chromogenic immunohistochemistry to stain and analyze paraffin tissue sections from the mouse or human.

Here we describe a multiplex chromogenic immunohistochemistry platform to stain and analyze two markers in paraffin tissue sections from mouse or human. The basis of the protocol is a series of stripping and re-probing steps with subsequent image analysis, which allows the user to perform multiplex imaging in a reliable and affordable manner. Here, we describe specific usage to assess the levels of PD-L1 in tumor-associated macrophages. We have used different antibodies and assessed this protocol for up to five consecutive antibodies per slide. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Orgaz et al. (2020).1.

Amoeboid migration in health and disease: Immune responses versus cancer dissemination.

Cell migration is crucial for efficient immune responses and is aberrantly used by cancer cells during metastatic dissemination. Amoeboid migrating cells use myosin II-powered blebs to propel themselves, and change morphology and direction. Immune cells use amoeboid strategies to respond rapidly to infection or tissue damage, which require quick passage through several barriers, including blood, lymph and interstitial tissues, with complex and varied environments. Amoeboid migration is also used by metastatic cancer cells to aid their migration, dissemination and survival, whereby key mechanisms are hijacked from professionally motile immune cells. We explore important parallels observed between amoeboid immune and cancer cells. We also consider key distinctions that separate the lifespan, state and fate of these cell types as they migrate and/or fulfil their function. Finally, we reflect on unexplored areas of research that would enhance our understanding of how tumour cells use immune cell strategies during metastasis, and how to target these processes.

Rho GTPase signaling in cancer progression and dissemination.

Rho GTPases are a family of small G proteins that regulate a wide array of cellular processes related to their key roles controlling the cytoskeleton. Cancer is a multistep disease caused by the accumulation of genetic mutations and epigenetic alterations, from the initial stages of cancer development when cells in normal tissues undergo transformation, to the acquisition of invasive and metastatic traits, responsible for a large number of cancer related deaths. In this review, we discuss the role of Rho GTPase signaling in cancer in every step of disease progression. Rho GTPases contribute to tumor initiation and progression, by regulating proliferation and apoptosis, but also metabolism, senescence, and cancer cell stemness. Rho GTPases play a major role in cell migration and in the metastatic process. They are also involved in interactions with the tumor microenvironment and regulate inflammation, contributing to cancer progression. After years of intensive research, we highlight the importance of relevant models in the Rho GTPase field, and we reflect on the therapeutic opportunities arising for cancer patients.

Podoplanin drives dedifferentiation and amoeboid invasion of melanoma.

Melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer developing from melanocytes, frequently resulting in metastatic disease. Melanoma cells utilize amoeboid migration as mode of local invasion. Amoeboid invasion is characterized by rounded cell morphology and high actomyosin contractility driven by Rho GTPase signalling. Migrastatic drugs targeting actin polymerization and contractility are therefore a promising treatment option for metastatic melanoma. To predict amoeboid invasion and metastatic potential, biomarkers functionally linked to contractility pathways are needed. The glycoprotein podoplanin drives actomyosin contractility in lymphoid fibroblasts and is overexpressed in many cancers. We show that podoplanin enhances amoeboid invasion in melanoma. Podoplanin expression in murine melanoma drives rounded cell morphology, increasing motility, and invasion in vivo. Podoplanin expression is increased in a subset of dedifferentiated human melanoma, and in vitro is sufficient to upregulate melanoma-associated marker Pou3f2/Brn2. Together, our data define podoplanin as a functional biomarker for dedifferentiated invasive melanoma and a promising migrastatic therapeutic target.

Kallikrein-Related Peptidase 6 Is Associated with the Tumour Microenvironment of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

As cancer-associated factors, kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs) are components of the tumour microenvironment, which represents a rich substrate repertoire, and considered attractive targets for the development of novel treatments. Standard-of-care therapy of pancreatic cancer shows unsatisfactory results, indicating the need for alternative therapeutic approaches. We aimed to investigate the expression of KLKs in pancreatic cancer and to inhibit the function of KLK6 in pancreatic cancer cells. KLK6, KLK7, KLK8, KLK10 and KLK11 were coexpressed and upregulated in tissues from pancreatic cancer patients compared to normal pancreas. Their high expression levels correlated with each other and were linked to shorter survival compared to low KLK levels. We then validated KLK6 mRNA and protein expression in patient-derived tissues and pancreatic cancer cells. Coexpression of KLK6 with KRT19, αSMA or CD68 was independent of tumour stage, while KLK6 was coexpressed with KRT19 and CD68 in the invasive tumour area. High KLK6 levels in tumour and CD68+ cells were linked to shorter survival. KLK6 inhibition reduced KLK6 mRNA expression, cell metabolic activity and KLK6 secretion and increased the secretion of other serine and aspartic lysosomal proteases. The association of high KLK levels and poor prognosis suggests that inhibiting KLKs may be a therapeutic strategy for precision medicine.

A preclinical pipeline to evaluate migrastatics as therapeutic agents in metastatic melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Metastasis is a hallmark of cancer and responsible for most cancer deaths. Migrastatics were defined as drugs interfering with all modes of cancer cell invasion and thus cancers' ability to metastasise. First anti-metastatic treatments have recently been approved. METHODS: We used bioinformatic analyses of publicly available melanoma databases. Experimentally, we performed in vitro target validation (including 2.5D cell morphology analysis and mass spectrometric analysis of RhoA binding partners), developed a new traceable spontaneously metastasising murine melanoma model for in vivo validation, and employed histology (haematoxylin/eosin and phospho-myosin II staining) to confirm drug action in harvested tumour tissues. RESULTS: Unbiased and targeted bioinformatic analyses identified the Rho kinase (ROCK)-myosin II pathway and its various components as potentially relevant targets in melanoma. In vitro validation demonstrated redundancy of several RhoGEFs upstream of RhoA and confirmed ROCK as a druggable target downstream of RhoA. The anti-metastatic effects of two ROCK inhibitors were demonstrated through in vivo melanoma metastasis tracking and inhibitor effects also confirmed ex vivo by digital pathology. CONCLUSIONS: We proposed a migrastatic drug development pipeline. As part of the pipeline, we provide a new traceable spontaneous melanoma metastasis model for in vivo quantification of metastasis and anti-metastatic effects by non-invasive imaging.