Abstract TMIM-085: BROMODOMAIN INHIBITION IN OVARIAN CANCER AND THE TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT

• Published in: Clinical cancer research 2019-11, Vol.25 (22_Supplement), p.TMIM-085-TMIM-085
• Main Authors: Wilson, Andrew J., Hoover, Alyssa, Harris, Whitney, Liu, Esther, Khabele, Dineo, Yull, Fiona E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1078-0432; 1557-3265
• DOI: 10.1158/1557-3265.OVCASYMP18-TMIM-085

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. While women with BRCA deficient tumors show sensitivity to PARP inhibitors (PARPi), new treatment options are urgently needed for patients with PARPi-resistant tumors. An emerging strategy to improve PARPi response is combination therapy with epigenetic drugs. A recently recognized epigenetic drug target in ovarian cancer is the bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) family of proteins. BET proteins such as BRD4 promote oncogenic transcription of genes promoting cell growth, survival and DNA repair. One example is the well-established link between inflammation and cancer, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB). In syngeneic mouse ovarian cancer models, M2-like pro-tumor macrophages are a prominent component of the ovarian cancer tumor microenvironment (TME). NF-κB inhibition can reduce the M2 macrophage population; however, more sustained treatment with a systemic NF-κB inhibitor leads to more ascites and reduced survival time. Thus, BET inhibitors (BETi) have the potential to induce transcriptional reprogramming in tumors and macrophages that may be beneficial or harmful depending on context. OBJECTIVE: To determine the cellular and molecular effects of combining BETi and PARPi in mouse ovarian cancer cells and peritoneal macrophages. METHODS: Cultured ID8 mouse ovarian cancer cells, PMJ2-PC mouse peritoneal macrophages and immortalized bone marrow-derived macrophages were treated with vehicle, the PARPi olaparib, the BETi JQ1 or the JQ1/olaparib combination for 24-72h. Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assays assessed cell growth in vitro. C57BL/6 mice injected intra-peritoneally (IP) with ID8 cells were treated with JQ1 (30 days, 50mg/kg by IP injection) with volume of ascites fluid, weight of harvested tumor, and number of tumor implants assessed. Markers of apoptosis (cleaved PARP or cleaved caspase-3), and DNA damage (pH2AX) were measured by immunohistochemistry or western blot. NF-κB activity was measured by luciferase assays of a NF-κB reporter plasmid. Expression of M1 (CCL3) and M2 (CD206, arginase-1) macrophage markers was measured by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (QPCR). RESULTS: In culture, JQ1 treatment sensitized ID8 ovarian cancer cells to olaparib-induced growth inhibition, DNA damage and apoptosis. However, despite modest stimulatory effects on DNA damage and apoptosis of long-term JQ1 treatment in ID8 tumors in vivo, JQ1 unexpectedly increased ascites formation without reducing overall tumor