DNA barcoding reveals ongoing immunoediting of clonal cancer populations during metastatic progression and immunotherapy response

Understanding the molecular mechanisms of cancer immunoediting could provide insight into resistance to immunotherapy. Here, DNA barcoding provides evidence of ongoing immunoediting during metastasis and treatment with anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA4, and identifies cancer cell clones with unique immune evasive phenotypes. Cancers evade the immune system through the process of cancer immunoediting. While immune checkpoint inhibitors are effective for reactivating tumour immunity in some cancer types, many other solid cancers, including breast cancer, remain largely non-responsive. Understanding how non-responsive cancers evade immunity and whether this occurs at the clonal level will improve immunotherapeutic design. Here we use DNA barcoding to track murine mammary cancer cell clones during immunoediting and determine clonal transcriptional profiles that allow immune evasion following anti-PD1 plus anti-CTLA4 immunotherapy. Clonal diversity is significantly restricted by immunotherapy treatment in both primary tumours and metastases, demonstrating selection for pre-existing breast cancer cell populations and ongoing immunoediting during metastasis and treatment. Immunotherapy resistant clones express a common gene signature associated with poor survival of basal-like breast cancer patient cohorts. At least one of these genes has an existing small molecule that can potentially be used to improve immunotherapy response.

Automated summary

Understanding the molecular mechanisms of cancer immunoediting and immune evasion at the clonal level is crucial for improving immunotherapeutic strategies. This study uses DNA barcoding to track the evolution of breast cancer cell clones during immunoediting and immunotherapy. The results reveal ongoing immunoediting during metastasis and treatment, as well as the presence of immune evasive clones with a gene signature associated with poor patient survival. The findings suggest that targeting specific genes in these clones could enhance immunotherapy response.