Plectin promotes an aggressive phenotype and represses cytotoxic T cell activity in pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an abysmal disease, with a poor clinical outcome, largely due to limited life-extending treatments for patients. Notoriously, PDAC displays a T cell-suppressive tumor microenvironment where underlying molecular mechanisms that lead to this phenotype remain poorly understood. To unravel specific mechanisms, we utilized bioinformatic analyses with functional studies and revealed the cytolinker protein plectin (PLEC) as a novel player in regulating the T cell-suppressive tumor microenvironment of PDAC.

METHODS

Utilizing the TCGA-PAAD dataset, tumor samples were separated by PLEC expression to evaluate patient survival, and pathway analyses associated with increased tumorigenesis. Evaluation of immune infiltration and subsequent immune deconvolution was performed using tidyestimate and CIBERSORTx R packages. Single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) analysis from 229 PDAC patients was analyzed to investigate signaling dynamics and immune cell infiltration in PLEC High patients. Functional validation was provided using a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against cell surface plectin (CSP) in two murine PDAC models to examine changes in tumor growth and immune cell subset abundance.

RESULTS

Our studies revealed that high plectin expression results in an overall worse survival associated with activation of pro-tumorigenic pathways and decreased anti-tumor immune signature in PDAC patients. Analysis via GSEA indicates PLEC High patients display an aggressive phenotype and suppressed pro-inflammatory signaling pathways. Immune ESTIMATE scores were significantly decreased in PLEC High patients, and scRNA-seq analysis revealed that PLEC High tumors display a decrease in anti-tumor CD8 + T cells. In vivo analyses using an anti-CSP mAb revealed a reduction in tumor growth kinetics compared to IgG control corresponding with a significant increase in proliferating and activated cytotoxic CD8 + T cells. Anti-CSP-mediated tumor suppression was inhibited when CD8 + T cells were depleted, indicating that anti-CSP treatment is contingent on cytotoxic T cell functionality.

CONCLUSION

Our findings identify plectin as a biomarker of aggressive disease in PDAC, with high plectin expression associated with decreased T cell infiltration, and that treatment with anti-CSP mAb reinstates anti-tumor immunity and decreases tumor volume in vivo . These findings position plectin as a high-priority therapeutic target, with the potential to fundamentally reshape immune responses in PDAC and improve outcomes for patients with few remaining options.