Transforming growth factor-? (TGF-?) superfamily ligands function to suppress then promote cancer progression through mechanisms that remain to be fully defined. We have demonstrated that loss of type III TGF-? receptor (T?RIII) expression is a frequent event in human cancers. T?RIII suppresses cancer progression, in part, through ectodomain shedding that generates a soluble T?RIII (sT?RIII), which has the potential to regulate signaling throughout the tumor microenvironment (TME). While restoring T?RIII expression in cancer cells and/or sT?RIII treatment created an immunotolerant TME, the mechanisms and relative contribution of T?RIII and sT?RIII in regulating the TME, as well as their respective roles in cancer initiation and cancer progression have not been established. Here we defined the structural determinants operant in regulating T?RIII shedding, which enabled us to create: i) a T?RIII super-shedder (T?RIII-SS) and ii) a T?RIII non-shedder (T?RIII?shed), with corresponding murine models. We have demonstrated that neutrophils may regulate T?RIII shedding. Based on these results, we hypothesize that neutrophil-mediated T?RIII loss/shedding/degradation in breast cancer and melanoma increases TGF-? superfamily signaling in the TME via loss of sT?RIII in the TME, promoting cancer progression, in part, by creating an immunotolerant TME. We further hypothesize that expressing sT?RIII or functional analogues to suppress TGF-? signaling in the TME will circumvent a mechanism of resistance and increase the efficacy of current immunotherapy approaches. We propose three Specific Aims.
Aim 1 : The mechanism by which neutrophils and the serine proteases, cathepsin G (CTSG) and neutrophil elastase (ELANE), mediate T?RIII shedding/degradation in the TME will be explored including defining structural determinants on T?RIII mediating shedding.
Aim 2 : We will define whether loss of T?RIII/sT?RIII increases TGF-? superfamily signaling in the TME to create an immunotolerant TME to promote cancer initiation or progression.
Aim 3 : We will define whether expressing sT?RIII or functional analogues in the TME in conjunction with current immunotherapy approaches will result in more effective therapies for breast cancer and melanoma and whether serum sT?RIII or TGF-?1 levels function as predictive biomarkers. These studies will help define the biological functions of ectodomain shedding of T?RIII in the context of the TME, providing broad impact on understanding the role of TGF-? superfamily signaling in human cancer initiation and progression, while providing proof of principle for combining anti-TGF-? signaling therapy with current immunotherapy approaches.
Transforming growth factor-? (TGF-?) superfamily ligands function to either suppress or promote cancer progression through mechanisms that remain to be fully defined. We have demonstrated that loss of type III TGF-? receptor (T?RIII) expression is a frequent event in human cancers. T?RIII suppresses cancer progression, in part, through ectodomain shedding that generates a soluble T?RIII (sT?RIII), which has the potential to regulate signaling throughout the tumor microenvironment (TME). Here we provide insight into potential mechanisms regulating T?RIII shedding in the TME. Thus, these studies where we will investigate mechanism and the role of neutrophil-mediated T?RIII loss/shedding/degradation in breast cancer and melanoma in the TME are important to perform and relevant to public health as these mechanistic insights will help define the biological functions of ectodomain shedding of T?RIII in the context of the TME, providing broad impact on understanding the role of TGF-? superfamily signaling in human cancers, while directly providing proof of principle for combining anti-TGF-? superfamily signaling therapy with current immunotherapy approaches.
