Tumor-associated B-cells induce tumor heterogeneity and therapy resistance

  • Rajasekharan Somasundaram
  • , Gao Zhang
  • , Mizuho Fukunaga-Kalabis
  • , Michela Perego
  • , Clemens Krepler
  • , Xiaowei Xu
  • , Christine Wagner
  • , Denitsa Hristova
  • , Jie Zhang
  • , Tian Tian
  • , Zhi Wei
  • , Qin Liu
  • , Kanika Garg
  • , Johannes Griss
  • , Rufus Hards
  • , Margarita Maurer
  • , Christine Hafner
  • , Marius Mayerhöfer
  • , Georgios Karanikas
  • , Ahmad Jalili
  • Verena Bauer-Pohl, Felix Weihsengruber, Klemens Rappersberger, Josef Koller, Roland Lang, Courtney Hudgens, Guo Chen, Michael Tetzlaff, Lawrence Wu, Dennie Tompers Frederick, Richard A Scolyer, Georgina V Long, Manashree Damle, Courtney Ellingsworth, Leon Grinman, Harry Choi, Brian J Gavin, Margaret Dunagin, Arjun Raj, Nathalie Scholler, Laura Gross, Marilda Beqiri, Keiryn Bennett, Ian Watson, Helmut Schaider, Michael A Davies, Jennifer Wargo, Brian J Czerniecki, Lynn Schuchter, Dorothee Herlyn, Keith Flaherty, Meenhard Herlyn, Stephan N Wagner

Research output: Journal article (peer-reviewed)Journal article

Abstract

In melanoma, therapies with inhibitors to oncogenic BRAFV600E are highly effective but responses are often short-lived due to the emergence of drug-resistant tumor subpopulations. We describe here a mechanism of acquired drug resistance through the tumor microenvironment, which is mediated by human tumor-associated B cells. Human melanoma cells constitutively produce the growth factor FGF-2, which activates tumor-infiltrating B cells to produce the growth factor IGF-1. B-cell-derived IGF-1 is critical for resistance of melanomas to BRAF and MEK inhibitors due to emergence of heterogeneous subpopulations and activation of FGFR-3. Consistently, resistance of melanomas to BRAF and/or MEK inhibitors is associated with increased CD20 and IGF-1 transcript levels in tumors and IGF-1 expression in tumor-associated B cells. Furthermore, first clinical data from a pilot trial in therapy-resistant metastatic melanoma patients show anti-tumor activity through B-cell depletion by anti-CD20 antibody. Our findings establish a mechanism of acquired therapy resistance through tumor-associated B cells with important clinical implications.Resistance to BRAFV600E inhibitors often occurs in melanoma patients. Here, the authors describe a potential mechanism of acquired drug resistance mediated by tumor-associated B cells-derived IGF-1.

Original languageEnglish
Article number607
Pages (from-to)607
JournalNature Communications
Volume8
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01 Dec 2017

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use
  • B-Lymphocytes/metabolism
  • Cell Survival
  • Cisplatin/therapeutic use
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
  • Fibroblast Growth Factor 2/metabolism
  • Humans
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/metabolism
  • Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/metabolism
  • Melanoma/drug therapy
  • Paclitaxel/therapeutic use
  • Pilot Projects
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf/genetics
  • Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 3/metabolism
  • Skin Neoplasms/drug therapy
  • Tumor Microenvironment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • General Chemistry
  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology

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