作者
Maolan Li,Fatao Liu,Fei Zhang,Weiping Zhou,Xiaoqing Jiang,Yuan Yang,Kai Qu,Yueqi Wang,Qiang Ma,Ting Wang,Lu Bai,Zheng Wang,Xiaoling Song,Yidi Zhu,Ruiyan Yuan,Yuan Gao,Yongchen Liu,Yunpeng Jin,Huaifeng Li,Shanshan Xiang,Yuanyuan Ye,Yijian Zhang,Lin Jiang,Yunping Hu,Yajuan Hao,Wei Lu,Shili Chen,Jun Gu,Jian Zhou,Wei Gong,Yong Zhang,Xuefeng Wang,Xiyong Liu,Lei Zhu,Houbao Liu,Yun Liu,Yingbin Liu
摘要
Objectives Patients with gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) lack effective treatment methods largely due to the inadequacy of both molecular characterisation and potential therapeutic targets. We previously uncovered a spectrum of genomic alterations and identified recurrent mutations in the ErbB pathway in GBC. Here, we aimed to study recurrent mutations of genes and pathways in a larger cohort of patients with GBC and investigate the potential mechanisms and clinical significance of these mutations. Design We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) in 157 patients with GBC. Functional experiments were applied in GBC cell lines to explore the oncogenic roles of ERBB2 / ERBB3 hotspot mutations, their correlation with PD-L1 expression and the underlying mechanisms. ERBB inhibitors and a PD-L1 blocker were used to evaluate the anticancer activities in co-culture systems in vitro and in vivo. Results WES identified ERBB2 and ERBB3 mutations at a frequency of 7%–8% in the expanded cohort, and patients with ERBB2 / ERBB3 mutations exhibited poorer prognoses. A set of in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed increased proliferation/migration on ERBB2 / ERBB3 mutation. Ectopic expression of ERBB2/ERBB3 mutants upregulated PD-L1 expression in GBC cells, effectively suppressed normal T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro through activation of the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway and contributed to the growth and progression of GBC in vivo. Treatment with an ERBB2/ERBB3 inhibitor or a PD-L1 monoclonal antibody reversed these immunosuppressive effects, and combined therapy revealed promising therapeutic activities. Conclusions ERBB2 / ERBB3 mutations may serve as useful biomarkers in identifying patients who are sensitive to ERBB2/ERBB3 inhibitors and PD-L1 monoclonal antibody treatment. Trial registration number NCT02442414 ;Pre-results.