Tumour microenvironment interactions of small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is characterised by rapid growth, early metastatic spread and poor long-term survival. The tumour is initially sensitive to chemotherapy and thus objective response rates are high. Unfortunately, this response is often short-lived and SCLC recurs with acquired drug resistance, resulting in early patient death. Despite intensive chemo- and radiotherapy regimes survival has not improved significantly in 20 years. Prior research suggests a critical role for the tumour microenvironment in the pathogenesis of other cancers. Therefore, investigating interactions between SCLC cells and components of the tumour stroma may identify novel therapeutic targets. This thesis demonstrates that extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins present in the tumour microenvironment protect SCLC cells in vitro from chemo- and radiotherapy induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via cell surface β1 integrins. Pharmacological and genetic inhibition of phosphoinositol-3 kinase signalling abrogates this effect, defining a central role for this pathway in SCLC de novo drug resistance. Furthermore, the protective effect of ECM occurs without alteration in chemotherapy-induced DNA damage allowing SCLC cells to survive with new genetic defects. Integrin-mediated drug resistance has been shown to be important in other tumours and thus development of strategies to inhibit this pathway may yield new anti-cancer treatments. The design of targeted agents to down-regulate integrin-ECM interaction requires an in depth understanding of the intracellular signals that modulate integrin affinity. Two such pathways are investigated in this thesis. 1) H-Ras, a dominant suppressor of integrin affinity, acts in part through phosphorylation of Erk. Data presented here demonstrate that H-Ras also suppresses integrins through a phospholipase-C epsilon (PLCε)-dependent pathway, thus explaining discrepancies in prior data and confirming a physiological role for this recently identified phospholipase. 2) The Notch signalling pathway has been shown to have important roles in both development and cancer. It is shown here that activation of Notch signalling increases β1 integrin affinity and can protect SCLC cells from chemotherapyinduced apoptosis. However the mechanisms appear to be different; Notch-1 modulates integrin activation through the small GTPase R-Ras and Notch-2 promotes SCLC cell survival. These results define a new Notch pathway, a novel integrin modulator and a potential therapeutic target in SCLC cells. In addition to ECM proteins, the tumour microenvironment contains immune cells that may contribute to cancer growth. The cellular composition of the SCLC stroma is poorly understood. The data presented here indicate that the microenvironment of SCLC is infiltrated by lymphocytes and macrophages, the degree of which independently predicts patient survival. This suggests that the host immune system may be able to suppress SCLC growth. It is well recognised that patients with SCLC have defects in cellular immunity which correlate with survival. An in vitro coculture model was used to investigate the underpinning mechanisms, showing SCLC cells can suppress CD4+ T-cell proliferation and macrophage CD86 expression. Furthermore, preliminary data suggest a role for a soluble factor released by SCLC cells that up-regulates CD4+ T-cell production of IL-10. The work in this thesis implies a complex interaction between SCLC cells, ECM and immune cells in the tumour microenvironment. Manipulation of these pathways may have important therapeutic implications. Further investigation is required to understand the mechanisms of this interplay, which may in part be aided by prospective analysis of patient tumour samples and an in vivo model of SCLC.