| First Author | Alam MS | Year | 2015 |
| Journal | Nat Med | Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 11 | Pages | 1337-43 |
| PubMed ID | 26479921 | Mgi Jnum | J:228885 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5749602 | Doi | 10.1038/nm.3957 |
| Citation | Alam MS, et al. (2015) Selective inhibition of the p38 alternative activation pathway in infiltrating T cells inhibits pancreatic cancer progression. Nat Med 21(11):1337-43 |
| abstractText | Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive neoplasm characterized by a marked fibro-inflammatory microenvironment, the presence of which can promote both cancer induction and growth. Therefore, selective manipulation of local cytokines is an attractive, although unrealized, therapeutic approach. T cells possess a unique mechanism of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation downstream of T cell receptor (TCR) engagement through the phosphorylation of Tyr323 (pY323). This alternative p38 activation pathway is required for pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Here we show in human PDAC that a high percentage of infiltrating pY323(+) T cells was associated with large numbers of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha- and interleukin (IL)-17-producing CD4(+) tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and aggressive disease. The growth of mouse pancreatic tumors was inhibited by genetic ablation of the alternative p38 pathway, and transfer of wild-type CD4(+) T cells, but not those lacking the alternative pathway, enhanced tumor growth in T cell-deficient mice. Notably, a plasma membrane-permeable peptide derived from GADD45-alpha, the naturally occurring inhibitor of p38 pY323(+) (ref. 7), reduced CD4(+) TIL production of TNF-alpha, IL-17A, IL-10 and secondary cytokines, halted growth of implanted tumors and inhibited progression of spontaneous KRAS-driven adenocarcinoma in mice. Thus, TCR-mediated activation of CD4(+) TILs results in alternative p38 activation and production of protumorigenic factors and can be targeted for therapeutic benefit. |
