A microenvironment-inspired synthetic three-dimensional model for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma organoids.

Experimental in vitro models that capture pathophysiological characteristics of human tumours are essential for basic and translational cancer biology. Here, we describe a fully synthetic hydrogel extracellular matrix designed to elicit key phenotypic traits of the pancreatic environment in culture. To enable the growth of normal and cancerous pancreatic organoids from genetically engineered murine models and human patients, essential adhesive cues were empirically defined and replicated in the hydrogel scaffold, revealing a functional role of laminin-integrin α3/α6 signalling in establishment and survival of pancreatic organoids. Altered tissue stiffness-a hallmark of pancreatic cancer-was recapitulated in culture by adjusting the hydrogel properties to engage mechano-sensing pathways and alter organoid growth. Pancreatic stromal cells were readily incorporated into the hydrogels and replicated phenotypic traits characteristic of the tumour environment in vivo. This model therefore recapitulates a pathologically remodelled tumour microenvironment for studies of normal and pancreatic cancer cells in vitro.

Fluoromethylcyclopropylamine derivatives as potential in vivo toxicophores - A cautionary disclosure.

Fluorination of metabolic hotspots in a molecule is a common medicinal chemistry strategy to improve in vivo half-life and exposure and, generally, this strategy offers significant benefits. Here, we report the application of this strategy to a series of poly-ADP ribose glycohydrolase (PARG) inhibitors, resulting in unexpected in vivo toxicity which was attributed to this single-atom modification.

USP7 inactivation suppresses APC-mutant intestinal hyperproliferation and tumor development.

Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) mutation is the hallmark of colorectal cancer (CRC), resulting in constitutive WNT activation. Despite decades of research, targeting WNT signaling in cancer remains challenging due to its on-target toxicity. We have previously shown that the deubiquitinating enzyme USP7 is a tumor-specific WNT activator in APC-truncated cells by deubiquitinating and stabilizing ß-catenin, but its role in gut tumorigenesis is unknown. Here, we show in vivo that deletion of Usp7 in Apc-truncated mice inhibits crypt hyperproliferation and intestinal tumor development. Loss of Usp7 prolongs the survival of the sporadic intestinal tumor model. Genetic deletion, but not pharmacological inhibition, of Usp7 in Apc+/- intestine induces colitis and enteritis. USP7 inhibitor treatment suppresses growth of patient-derived cancer organoids carrying APC truncations in vitro and in xenografts. Our findings provide direct evidence that USP7 inhibition may offer a safe and efficacious tumor-specific therapy for both sporadic and germline APC-mutated CRC.

Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Remodel the Tumor Immune Environment to Enhance Immune Checkpoint Blockade Efficacy.

Identifying strategies to improve the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) remains a major clinical need. Here, we show that therapeutically targeting the COX2/PGE2/EP2-4 pathway with widely used nonsteroidal and steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs synergized with ICB in mouse cancer models. We exploited a bilateral surgery model to distinguish responders from nonresponders shortly after treatment and identified acute IFNγ-driven transcriptional remodeling in responder mice, which was also associated with patient benefit to ICB. Monotherapy with COX2 inhibitors or EP2-4 PGE2 receptor antagonists rapidly induced this response program and, in combination with ICB, increased the intratumoral accumulation of effector T cells. Treatment of patient-derived tumor fragments from multiple cancer types revealed a similar shift in the tumor inflammatory environment to favor T-cell activation. Our findings establish the COX2/PGE2/EP2-4 axis as an independent immune checkpoint and a readily translatable strategy to rapidly switch the tumor inflammatory profile from cold to hot. SIGNIFICANCE: Through performing in-depth profiling of mice and human tumors, this study identifies mechanisms by which anti-inflammatory drugs rapidly alter the tumor immune landscape to enhance tumor immunogenicity and responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors.See related commentary by Melero et al., p. 2372.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 2355.

Heterocellular OSM-OSMR signalling reprograms fibroblasts to promote pancreatic cancer growth and metastasis.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a lethal malignancy with a complex microenvironment. Dichotomous tumour-promoting and -restrictive roles have been ascribed to the tumour microenvironment, however the effects of individual stromal subsets remain incompletely characterised. Here, we describe how heterocellular Oncostatin M (OSM) - Oncostatin M Receptor (OSMR) signalling reprograms fibroblasts, regulates tumour growth and metastasis. Macrophage-secreted OSM stimulates inflammatory gene expression in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which in turn induce a pro-tumourigenic environment and engage tumour cell survival and migratory signalling pathways. Tumour cells implanted in Osm-deficient (Osm-/-) mice display an epithelial-dominated morphology, reduced tumour growth and do not metastasise. Moreover, the tumour microenvironment of Osm-/- animals exhibit increased abundance of α smooth muscle actin positive myofibroblasts and a shift in myeloid and T cell phenotypes, consistent with a more immunogenic environment. Taken together, these data demonstrate how OSM-OSMR signalling coordinates heterocellular interactions to drive a pro-tumourigenic environment in PDA.

Single-cell analysis defines a pancreatic fibroblast lineage that supports anti-tumor immunity.

Fibroblasts display extensive transcriptional heterogeneity, yet functional annotation and characterization of their heterocellular relationships remains incomplete. Using mass cytometry, we chart the stromal composition of 18 murine tissues and 5 spontaneous tumor models, with an emphasis on mesenchymal phenotypes. This analysis reveals extensive stromal heterogeneity across tissues and tumors, and identifies coordinated relationships between mesenchymal and immune cell subsets in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Expression of CD105 demarks two stable and functionally distinct pancreatic fibroblast lineages, which are also identified in murine and human healthy tissues and tumors. Whereas CD105-positive pancreatic fibroblasts are permissive for tumor growth in vivo, CD105-negative fibroblasts are highly tumor suppressive. This restrictive effect is entirely dependent on functional adaptive immunity. Collectively, these results reveal two functionally distinct pancreatic fibroblast lineages and highlight the importance of mesenchymal and immune cell interactions in restricting tumor growth.

Cell-Active Small Molecule Inhibitors of the DNA-Damage Repair Enzyme Poly(ADP-ribose) Glycohydrolase (PARG): Discovery and Optimization of Orally Bioavailable Quinazolinedione Sulfonamides.

DNA damage repair enzymes are promising targets in the development of new therapeutic agents for a wide range of cancers and potentially other diseases. The enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of DNA repair mechanisms; however, the lack of potent drug-like inhibitors for use in cellular and in vivo models has limited the investigation of its potential as a novel therapeutic target. Using the crystal structure of human PARG in complex with the weakly active and cytotoxic anthraquinone 8a, novel quinazolinedione sulfonamides PARG inhibitors have been identified by means of structure-based virtual screening and library design. 1-Oxetan-3-ylmethyl derivatives 33d and 35d were selected for preliminary investigations in vivo. X-ray crystal structures help rationalize the observed structure-activity relationships of these novel inhibitors.

First-in-Class Chemical Probes against Poly(ADP-ribose) Glycohydrolase (PARG) Inhibit DNA Repair with Differential Pharmacology to Olaparib.

The enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) performs a critical role in the repair of DNA single strand breaks (SSBs). However, a detailed understanding of its mechanism of action has been hampered by a lack of credible, cell-active chemical probes. Herein, we demonstrate inhibition of PARG with a small molecule, leading to poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) chain persistence in intact cells. Moreover, we describe two advanced, and chemically distinct, cell-active tool compounds with convincing on-target pharmacology and selectivity. Using one of these tool compounds, we demonstrate pharmacology consistent with PARG inhibition. Further, while the roles of PARG and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) are closely intertwined, we demonstrate that the pharmacology of a PARG inhibitor differs from that observed with the more thoroughly studied PARP inhibitor olaparib. We believe that these tools will facilitate a wider understanding of this important component of DNA repair and may enable the development of novel therapeutic agents exploiting the critical dependence of tumors on the DNA damage response (DDR).