Abstract 2741: Loss of Cadherin-11 in PDAC induces altered immune cell infiltration and remodels stromal landscape

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal forms of cancer with very few treatment options. Less than 10 percent of patients diagnosed with PDAC survive 5 years post diagnosis. Mutations in CDKN2A, SMAD4, KRAS and P53 have been well linked to the development of PDAC. Preclinical murine models have been developed that leverage key driver mutations and have significantly contributed to our understanding of PDAC. One such genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM) that has emerged as an important tool in PDAC investigations is the KPC mouse (LSL-KrasG12D/+LSL-Trp53R172H/+Pdx-1-Cre) that spontaneously develops pancreatic tumors at ~14-16 weeks of age. Cadherin-11 (Cdh11), a cell-to-cell adhesion molecule, is highly expressed in desmoplastic stroma, a characteristic of PDAC, that leads to difficulties in drug accessibility and has been hypothesized to contribute to chemotherapeutic resistance. However, the mechanisms by which Cdh11 deficiency in the stromal microenvironment of PDAC-bearing mice (KPC) influences therapeutic outcomes, has yet to be fully understood. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) of both the non-immune (CD45-) and immune (CD45+) cellular compartments of tumor bearing (KPC/Cdh11+/+), tumor bearing Cdh11 deficient (KPC/Cdh11+/-), non-tumor bearing Cdh11 deficient (Cdh11-/+) and wildtype (KP) were performed. We observed changes in the abundance and types of infiltrating immune cells (T-cells, B-cells, myeloid lineage cells) of KPC/Cdh11+/- tumors when compared to tumors harvested from KPC/Cdh11+/+ mice. KPC/Cdh11+/+ pancreata had significantly more myeloid cells while KPC/Cdh11+/- tumors favored an increase in the numbers of infiltrating B- and T- cells. Genes upregulated in infiltrating T-cells specific to KPC/Cdh11+/+ mice include Spp1, Ifi30, Apoe, Ifitm3, Fn1. The increase in B and T cell infiltration was specific to the Cdh11-/+ deficient background, since both pancreata from KPC/Cdh11+/- and Cdh11-/+ mice had elevated levels of infiltration, compared to the KPC group. We also observed a decrease in the number of antigen-presenting cancer associated fibroblasts (apCAFs) in Cdh11-/+ and KPC/Cdh11+/- pancreata, denoted by the lack of CD74+ fibroblasts. Further validation of these findings will help to define the role of Cdh11-/+ in modulating B and T-cell behavior in addition to providing insight into Cdh11-/+ as a therapeutic target for PDAC through altering the tumor microenvironment. Citation Format: Kelly A. Martin, Aimy Sebastian, Nicholas Hum, Ivana Peran, Stephen Byers, Elizabeth K. Wheeler, Matthew A. Coleman, Gabriela Loots. Loss of Cadherin-11 in PDAC induces altered immune cell infiltration and remodels stromal landscape [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 2741.