IL-15 and IL-2 increase Cetuximab-mediated cellular cytotoxicity against triple negative breast cancer cell lines expressing EGFR

Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2011 Nov;130(2):465-75. doi: 10.1007/s10549-011-1360-2. Epub 2011 Feb 10.

Abstract

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients are not likely to benefit from anti-estrogen or anti-HER2 therapy and this phenotype is associated with a more aggressive clinical course and worse clinical outcome. Taking into account the limited treatment possibilities in TNBC, the aim of the present work was to study a potential therapy based on Cetuximab-mediated immune activity by natural killer (NK) cells. We performed in vitro studies on human breast cancer (BC) cell lines, IIB-BR-G, and the in vivo metastatic variant IIB-BR-G MT. The immunohistochemical analysis showed a TNBC phenotype with high but different levels of EGFR expression on each cell line, measured by flow cytometry. DNA sequencing showed that both cell lines have a mutated K-RAS status, 38 G > A at codon 13. Consequently, Cetuximab did not inhibit cellular proliferation or induce apoptosis. We investigated if Cetuximab could trigger immune mechanisms, and we determined that both cell lines treated with 1 μg/ml Cetuximab were susceptible to antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), mediated by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). At 50:1 effector:target ratio, lytic activity was 34 ± 2% against IIB-BR-G and 27 ± 6% against IIB-BR-G MT cells. PBMC pretreatment with IL-2 allowed reaching 65 ± 3% of Cetuximab-mediated ADCC against IIB-BR-G and 63 ± 6.5% against IIB-BR-G MT. Furthermore, IL-15 pretreatment increased the ADCC up to 71 ± 3% in IIB-BR-G and 79 ± 3.5% in IIB-BR-G MT. We suggest that NK cells are the effectors present in PBMC since they were able to induce ADCC at lower effector:target ratios. Besides, IL-2- and mainly IL-15-induced upregulation of NK activating receptors CD16 and NKG2D and enhanced IFN-γ production. EGFR-expressing TNBC could be killed by Cetuximab-mediated ADCC at clinically achievable concentrations. IL-15 could advantageously replace IL-2 in most of its immunologic activities, stimulating the ability to produce IFN-γ, and paralleling the up-regulation of activating receptors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / pharmacology*
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Base Sequence
  • Breast Neoplasms
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cetuximab
  • Coculture Techniques
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • ErbB Receptors / metabolism*
  • Female
  • GPI-Linked Proteins / genetics
  • GPI-Linked Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Interferon-gamma / metabolism
  • Interleukin-15 / pharmacology*
  • Interleukin-15 / physiology
  • Interleukin-2 / pharmacology*
  • Interleukin-2 / physiology
  • Killer Cells, Natural / drug effects
  • Killer Cells, Natural / metabolism
  • NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K / genetics
  • NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K / metabolism
  • Point Mutation
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / metabolism
  • Receptors, Estrogen / metabolism
  • Receptors, IgG / genetics
  • Receptors, IgG / metabolism
  • Receptors, Progesterone / metabolism
  • Up-Regulation / drug effects
  • ras Proteins / genetics

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • FCGR3B protein, human
  • GPI-Linked Proteins
  • IL2 protein, human
  • Interleukin-15
  • Interleukin-2
  • KLRK1 protein, human
  • KRAS protein, human
  • NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Receptors, Estrogen
  • Receptors, IgG
  • Receptors, Progesterone
  • Interferon-gamma
  • ERBB2 protein, human
  • ErbB Receptors
  • Receptor, ErbB-2
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)
  • ras Proteins
  • Cetuximab