E-Poster Presentation 33rd Lorne Cancer Conference 2021

Impact of protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT5) inhibition on the melanoma immune microenvironment (#187)

Riyaben P Patel 1 2 , Emily J Lelliott 1 , Laura Kirby 1 , Alison Slater 1 , Shatha AbuHammad 1 , Lydia Lim 1 , Lorey K Smith 1 , Grant A McArthur 1 3 4 , Karen E Sheppard 1 3 5
  1. Research division , Peter McCallum Cancer Centre , Melbourne , Victoria , Australia
  2. Research Divison, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  3. Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville , VIC, Australia
  4. Department of Medicine, St. Vincent’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
  5. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , The University of Melbourne , Parkville, VIC, Australia

Cutaneous melanoma is a lethal form of skin cancer that accounts for 9th most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Australia. The current standard of care for BRAF mutant melanoma is a combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors (BRAFi/MEKi). However, despite the remarkable initial response rate, most patients relapse after acquiring resistance. Therefore, novel therapeutic strategies are necessary. Pre-clinical studies from our lab have demonstrated PRMT5 inhibitors as single agents or in combination with CDK4/6 inhibitors are an effective therapeutic strategy for melanoma. Targeted therapies have both tumour intrinsic responses but also can impact on the immune system affecting anti-tumour immunity.  Thus, we hypothesis that PRMT5 inhibition will also impact on immune-mediated anti-tumour immune responses. Here, we investigate the immunomodulatory effects of PRMT5 inhibition (PRTM5i) using the immunogenic YOVAL1.1 mouse model and isolated CD8+ T-cells. Flow cytometry analyses of immune markers on the tumour cells revealed an upregulation of the co-stimulatory molecule CD80 and downregulation of MHC class I expression. More importantly, chromium T-cell killing assays illustrated, an increase in T-cell mediate killing when co-cultured with treated tumour cells with PRMT5i. In addition, PRTM5i treatment of CD8+ T-cells showed negligible modulation in T-cell activation marker, phenotype and viability. Overall, results from this study support the immunomodulatory effects of PRMT5i, which can potentially increase the anti-melanoma immune response.