Cited by 928Cancer Immunotherapy and BiomarkersHepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment and PrognosisImmunotherapy and Immune Responses

β-Catenin Activation Promotes Immune Escape and Resistance to Anti–PD-1 Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

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Ruiz de Galarreta, Marina, Bresnahan, Erin, Molina-Sánchez, Pedro, Lindblad, Katherine E., Maier, Barbara, Sia, Daniela, Puigvehi, Marc, Miguela, Verónica +15 more·2019·Cancer Discovery

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors have produced encouraging results in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, what determines resistance to anti–PD-1 therapies is unclear. We created a novel genetically engineered mouse model of HCC that enables interrogation of how different genetic alterations affect immune surveillance and response to immunotherapies. Expression of exogenous antigens in MYC;Trp53−/− HCCs led to T cell–mediated immune surveillance, which was accompanied by decreased tumor formation and increased survival. Some antigen-expressing MYC;Trp53−/− HCCs escaped the immune system by upregulating the β-catenin (CTNNB1) pathway. Accordingly, expression of exogenous antigens in MYC;CTNNB1 HCCs had no effect, demonstrating that β-catenin promoted immune escape, which involved defective recruitment of dendritic cells and consequently impaired T-cell activity. Expression of chemokine CCL5 in antigen-expressing MYC;CTNNB1 HCCs restored immune surveillance. Finally, β-catenin–driven tumors were resistant to anti–PD-1. In summary, β-catenin activation promotes immune escape and resistance to anti–PD-1 and could represent a novel biomarker for HCC patient exclusion. Significance: Determinants of response to anti–PD-1 immunotherapies in HCC are poorly understood. Using a novel mouse model of HCC, we show that β-catenin activation promotes immune evasion and resistance to anti–PD-1 therapy and could potentially represent a novel biomarker for HCC patient exclusion. See related commentary by Berraondo et al., p. 1003. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 983

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  • In a mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma, activation of WNT-β-catenin signalling promotes immune escape by impairing dendritic cell recruitment and natural killer cell recognition.

    “In a mouse model of HCC, activation of WNT–β-catenin signalling promotes immune escape by impairing recruitment of dendritic cells and interfering with recognition by natural killer cells73.”

    From Adjuvant and neoadjuvant immunotherapies in hepatocellular carcinoma (2024) · cites this paper as [73]

    The Results and Discussion report that β-catenin activation promotes immune escape in the mouse HCC model by impairing recruitment of CD103+ dendritic cells and the ensuing antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell response. The Results report no significant difference in natural killer cell numbers between the compared livers, but do not establish impaired recognition by those cells. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [61]Subramanian A, Tamayo P, Mootha VK, Mukherjee S, Ebert BL, Gillette MA, Gene set enrichment analysis: a knowledge-based approach for interpreting genome-wide expression profiles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005; 102(43): 15545– 50. 16199517 PMC1239896

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Authors
Ruiz de Galarreta, M., Bresnahan, E., Molina-Sánchez, P., Lindblad, K. E., Maier, B., Sia, D., Puigvehi, M., Miguela, V., Casanova-Acebes, M., Dhainaut, M., Villacorta-Martin, C., Singhi, A. D., Moghe, A., von Felden, J., Tal Grinspan, L., Wang, S., Kamphorst, A. O., Monga, S. P., Brown, B. D., Villanueva, A., Llovet, J. M., Merad, M., & Lujambio, A.
Affiliations
  • 1Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
  • Tisch Cancer Institute (US)
  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US)
  • 2Liver Cancer Program, Division of Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
  • University of Pittsburgh (US)
  • Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ES)
Corresponding author
Lujambio, Amaia
Venue
Cancer Discovery
Published
2019-08-01
Volume
9
Issue
8
Pages
1124-1141
ISSN
  • 2159-8274 (ISSN-L)
  • 2159-8290
OpenAlex
W2952311394
Cited by
912
References
67
Citations by year
2026: 114 · 2025: 121 · 2024: 158 · 2023: 169 · 2022: 156 · 2021: 116 · 2020: 67 · 2019: 11
FWCI
36.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Cancer Discovery (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Damon Runyon Cancer Research FoundationDamon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (Damon Runyon) (DR52-18)
  • HHS | NIH | National Cancer InstituteHHS | NIH | National Cancer Institute (NCI) (R37CA230636, P30 CA196521)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Hepatology › Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment and Prognosis
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
Keywords
β-catenin signaling, hepatocellular carcinoma, immune evasion, anti-PD-1 resistance, PD-1 inhibitors, tumor surveillance, c-Myc, Trp53, dendritic cell recruitment, T cell function, RANTES, chemokines, genetically engineered mouse models, immunotherapy biomarkers
MeSH terms
Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological, Animals, Dendritic Cells, Disease Models, Animal, Carcinoma, Hepatocellular, Humans, Liver Neoplasms, Oncogenes, Biomarkers, Tumor, Signal Transduction, Gene Expression, Treatment Outcome, CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes, Drug Resistance, Neoplasm, Tumor Escape, Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays, Cell Line, Tumor, beta Catenin, Mice, Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor

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