Citations

Abstract Invasive lobular breast carcinoma (ILC) is the most common special histological subtype of breast cancer, which accounts for 10-15% of all cases. To study the phenotype characteristics, metastatic growth kinetic and immune microenvironment of ILC, we developed an orthotopically transplantable cell line model from the spontaneous mammary fat pad tumor of CDH1-PTEN dual knockout C57BL/6 mouse with Cre-loxP system, designated CPT6. CPT6 recapitulates single-file growth pattern of human ILC, with pleomorphic features and a high mitotic index. RNA sequencing together with whole exome sequencing reveals a luminal A subtype with targetable driver mutations such as Kras G12C. As a novel orthotopically transplantable ILC model in immune competent mice, CPT6 shows robust in vivo growth and metastatic rate, and has moderate immunogenicity which appears to be T-cell independent. We also profiled the immune microenvironment of CPT6, revealing a myeloid-rich environment with dominant M2-macrophage population, which is concordant with human ILC. In summary, this model recapitulates human ILC phenotype and represents a valuable preclinical platform for evaluating immunotherapy and other therapeutic strategies for invasive lobular breast carcinoma.

Abstract Treatment resistance and metastases occur in 10–20% of patients with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), the most common special histological subtype of breast cancer. ILC metastasizes to the ovary more frequently than no special type (NST) tumors, also known as invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). To characterize the genomic landscape of breast cancer ovarian metastases, we analyzed 15,613 local breast cancers, 22,010 non-ovarian metastases, and 246 ovarian metastases sequenced using FoundationOne®CDx or FoundationOne® assays. Ovarian metastases had enriched CDH1 , PIK3CA , and TBX3 mutations and depleted TP53 and MYC alterations relative to local breast cancers, with additional depletion of ESR1 mutations compared to non-ovarian metastases. CDH1 mutations were less frequent in ovarian metastases (47%) than local ILC (81.3%), with reduced 16q loss (64% vs 84%), indicating that ovarian metastases also arise from non-ILC tumors. We extended these findings to a UPMC cohort of 27 ovarian metastases (13 ILC, 8 IDC, 6 mixed ductal-lobular carcinoma) with patient-matched primary tumors in most cases. In both cohorts, patients with ovarian metastases were significantly younger than those with other metastatic sites. In the UPMC cohort, the most frequent mutations were in PIK3CA , CDH1 , KMT2C , FOXA1 , and RUNX1 . Transcriptomic analysis identified upregulated G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) pathways, including metabotropic glutamate receptor signaling. Functional studies showed that calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), a GPCR overexpressed in ovarian metastases, drives MEK/ERK-dependent migration and F-actin reorganization in ILC cell lines, enhanced by estrogen and blocked by calcilytic, MEK, or anti- estrogen treatment. Our findings inform future therapeutic targeting of ovarian metastasis.

1024 Background: Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is a distinct breast cancer (BC) subtype with dissemination patterns differing from invasive breast carcinoma of no special type (IBC-NST). While genomic differences between ILC and IBC-NST have been described, the extent to which molecular and immune profiles vary by metastatic organ and histology is poorly characterized. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis to evaluate organ- and histology-specific molecular features of metastatic BC (mBC). Patients with metastatic IBC-NST or pure ILC underwent NGS (592, NextSeq; WES/WTS, NovaSeq; Caris Life Sciences). Tumor mutational burden (high ≥10 mut/Mb), PD-L1 expression (22C3), and immune cell fractions (RNAseq deconvolution, quanTIseq) were assessed. Analyses were restricted to sites with ≥10 biopsies per histology. Comparisons used chi-square or Mann–Whitney U tests with multiple testing correction (q < 0.05). Results: A total of 2645 mBC biopsies (605 ILC; 2040 IBC-NST) were analyzed (Table). In ILC, ERBB2 mut frequency differed by metastatic site (q<0.01), with higher prevalence in liver (32.7%) and lower in gastrointestinal (GI) lesions (3.7%). In IBC-NST, ESR1 and GATA3 mut and FGFR1 amplification were enriched in liver metastases, whereas PD-L1 expression was highest in skin (20.7%) and lowest in liver (5.0%). No organ-specific differences were observed for PIK3CA, AKT, PTEN, BRCA1/2 or RB1 . Across metastatic sites, both ILC and IBC-NST showed differences in B cells, macrophages (M1/M2), neutrophils, NK cells, dendritic cells, CD8+ T cells, and Tregs (all q < 0.05); CD4+ T-cell differences were observed only in IBC-NST (q = 0.002). In organ-specific ILC vs IBC-NST comparisons, CDH1 mut were more frequent in ILC across sites, along with higher PIK3CA mut in skin (ILC 51.3% vs IBC-NST 34.4%) and higher ERBB2 mut in liver (32.7% vs 3.3%), whereas a higher TP53 mut frequency was observed in IBC-NST in skin (28.5% vs 52.3%) and lymph nodes (LND) (23.5% vs 55.5%) (all q < 0.01). Conclusions: mBC exhibits marked organ-specific molecular and immune heterogeneity that differs by histology. These findings support histology- and site-aware interpretation of metastatic biopsies and may inform biomarker assessment and treatment decisions in advanced disease. BC-NST ILC Skin LND Bone Breast Liver Perit. CNS q-value Skin LND Bone Breast GI Liver GYN Perit. CNS q-value N (specimens) 785 401 109 361 220 15 44 - 172 84 62 56 56 54 43 37 11 - ERBB2 mut (%) 3.2 3.1 3.2 2.3 3.3 7.1 2.5 1.0 7.1 7.4 16.4 15.4 3.7 32.7 2.4 5.7 11.1 <0.01 ESR1 mut (%) 9.4 5.2 8.3 16.0 28.2 7.1 2.4 0.0 7.8 7.2 8.9 9.8 16.7 26.0 4.9 20.0 0.0 0.9 FGFR1 amp (%) 10.1 6.6 5.6 12.8 16.5 0.0 9.7 0.02 4.4 3.4 6.7 6.1 2.4 5.6 7.7 18.5 0.0 1.0 IHC-PD-L1 (%) 20.7 - 5.3 16.0 5.0 11.1 10.3 0.02 8.9 - 5.0 5.7 6.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 14.3 1.0 TMB-High (%) 10.7 10.1 8.8 8.8 8.5 14.3 21.4 0.8 27.6 11.0 19.6 28.0 11.3 19.6 9.8 32.4 22.2 0.8 Perit: peritoneum; CNS: central nervous system; GYN: genital tract.

Abstract Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer and remains difficult to treat due to the absence of targeted therapies. While recent advances in immunotherapy, particularly with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), have transformed the treatment landscape for many cancers, response rates to ICIs remain low for TNBC, largely due to tumor-intrinsic immune evasion mechanisms. Objective: We identify and characterize a novel immune evasion pathway in TNBC driven by deregulation of cancer cell-intrinsic protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1), a thrombin receptor frequently upregulated in aggressive tumors. Methods and Results: Through integrative bioinformatic analyses, genetic perturbations, xenograft models (immunodeficient and immunocompetent), flow cytometry-based tumor immune profiling, and RNA-seq, we demonstrate that PAR1 activation enhances immune evasion in TNBC. Mechanistically, we show that the paracaspase MALT1 acts as a critical downstream effector of PAR1 signaling and promotes immune escape by driving PD-L1 expression in TNBC cells. Functional assays reveal that genetic depletion of MALT1 or PD-L1 increases TNBC cell susceptibility to T cell-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro and significantly suppresses tumor growth in vivo. Notably, through knock-in and rescue experiments using a catalytically inactive MALT1 mutant, we reveal that MALT1’s scaffolding - rather than protease - function is essential for PD-L1 regulation. Immune cell depletion assays further identify CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells as key mediators of the anti-tumor immune response suppressed by the PAR1-MALT1 axis. These findings are supported by human TNBC specimen analyses, where MALT1 expression inversely correlates with T cell activation and positively associates with PD-L1 in PAR1-high, but not PAR1-low, tumors. Conclusion: Our study reveals immune evasion as a novel mechanism of PAR1-driven breast cancer pathogenesis, mediated by a PAR1/MALT1/PD-L1 signaling cascade. These findings bridge a critical gap by positioning MALT1 at the interface between tumor-intrinsic signaling and the immune microenvironment - two areas of CARMA-BCL10-MALT1 (CBM) complex research that have largely evolved in parallel over the years. Importantly, targeting MALT1 may enhance immunotherapy efficacy in TNBC. Given the availability of MALT1 inhibitors in clinical development, our work supports combining MALT1 inhibition with ICIs or other immune-oncology agents as a promising strategy to overcome immune resistance in TNBC. Citation Format: Dong Hu, Prasanna Ekambaram, Zheqi Li, Linda Klei, Maria L. Beecher, Yi Liu, Zongyou Cai, John Little, Jeffrey A. Meridew, Jia-Ying Lee, E. Aubrey Thompson, Tullia C. Bruno, Lidija Covic, Seung-Oe Lim, Anushka Dongre, Heide L. Ford, Mien-Chie Hung, Adrian V. Lee, Steffi Oesterreich, Linda McAllister-Lucas, Peter C. Lucas. A cancer cell-intrinsic PAR1/MALT1/PD-L1 signaling pathway drives immune evasion in triple-negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 7392.

Invasive lobular breast carcinoma (ILC), the most common special histological subtype of breast cancer, is characterized by nearly universal expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ER) and unique sites of metastases, neither of which is fully recapitulated by genetically engineered mouse models. Using reporter-labeled ILC mouse xenografts, herein we used mammary fat pad, tail vein and intracardiac orthotopic growth to analyze spontaneous and experimental metastasis and gene expression. We observed ER-positive primary tumors with single-file histology and collagen deposition, and spontaneous metastasis from the mammary fat pad to bones, ovaries, and brain including the leptomeninges, thereby closely mirroring the growth and metastatic spread of human ILC. Brain metastases showed strong ER staining, confirmed by sequencing analyses which identified estrogen signaling as top activated pathway, and the lesions exhibited robust response to endocrine therapy. In summary, we report endocrine responsive mammary fat pad, tail vein and intracardiac xenografts that faithfully demonstrate unique ILC features and can serve as invaluable pre-clinical translational platforms for validating candidate ILC genetic drivers and testing novel therapeutics.

Abstract Background Cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12) regulates general gene transcription elongation and plays multiple roles in RNA splicing, DNA damage-response, cell cycle, and genomic stability. However, transcriptional partners that guide CDK12-specific gene programs have not been identified. Genomic alterations in CDK12 have been observed in multiple cancers, exhibiting both pro-tumorigenic and tumor-suppressive functions, suggesting a context-dependent mechanism of action. Methods CDK12 copy number alterations and gene expression levels were analyzed in matched primary and brain metastatic patient tumors. Clinical significance was assessed by immunohistochemistry in a large cohort of primary breast cancer patient tumors. RNA sequencing, ChIP sequencing, and molecular studies were conducted to explore CDK12’s mechanism of action, and pharmacological studies were performed both in vitro and in vivo using models of advanced (endocrine-resistant and metastatic) estrogen receptor positive (ER+) disease. Results CDK12 amplifications and gene overexpression were observed in brain metastatic tumors. In ER+ primary patient tumors, high CDK12 protein expression was significantly associated with poor overall survival, particularly within the ER+/HER2-negative group. In ER+ endocrine resistant models, CDK12 regulated estrogen signaling pathways, with ER/MED1 identified as the master transcriptional complex directing CDK12-specific pro-tumorigenic gene programs. Pharmacological inhibition of CDK12 significantly reduced viability in endocrine resistant and metastatic cell and organoid models in vitro, and decreased metastatic spread in vivo. Conclusion This work describes a novel mechanism for CDK12, suggesting a potential vulnerability in ER+ breast cancer. These findings provide a basis for further investigation into the role of CDK12 inhibition as a therapeutic approach, particularly in advanced disease settings.

Abstract Purpose: Germline pathogenic variants (PV) in ATM increase the risk of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), but the underlying tumor biology of PDAC associated with germline PV in ATM has not been adequately explored. Experimental Design: Whole-genome, whole-exome, and RNA sequencing were performed on PDAC tumors from 25 germline ATM PV carriers diagnosed at Mayo Clinic between 2007 and 2017. Somatic and copy-number alterations, mutational signatures, transcriptomic subtypes, and the immune landscape were evaluated. Results: High-quality whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing were obtained from 21 and 15 tumors, respectively. Biallelic inactivation of ATM was observed in 87%, KRAS PV in 90%, CDKN2A homozygous loss in 60%, and TP53 alterations in &lt;10% of these tumors. A predominant clock-like mutational signature was present in all samples. Whole-transcriptome analysis identified that the aberrantly differentiated endocrine exocrine subtype accounted for 18% of PDAC and was consistently associated with &gt;5-year overall survival. In addition, a 28-gene expression–based signature associated with overall survival was identified and further validated in The Cancer Genome Atlas cohort. Immune landscape analysis through CODEX identified enriched CD4 T-helper cell/tumor interactions and reduced B7H3-high cell/tumor interactions in ATM PV carriers compared with noncarriers. Conclusions: The observed absence of TP53 PV and enrichment for CDKN2A alterations in ATM tumors, along with differences in the mutational signatures, transcriptomic subtypes and immune landscape, improve our understanding of the mechanistic pathways involved in PDAC development in germline ATM PV carriers and help identify potential targeted therapeutic strategies.

Abstract Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) accounts for 10-15% of all breast cancers, making it the most common special histological subtype of breast cancer. Initially, ILC is associated with a better response to adjuvant hormonal therapy compared to invasive ductal breast cancer (IDC). However, patients with ILC often experience a worse long-term outcome. Over 90% of ILCs are estrogen receptor positive (ER+) and do not express functional E-cadherin (CDH1). There are limited studies aimed at improved understanding of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in ILC. Therefore, we set out to generate and characterize a syngeneic mouse cell line model that mimics the genetic loss of CDH1 seen in ILC. We created an ER+ ILC-like mammary cancer model using the syngeneic SSM3 cell line, derived from an ER+ mouse mammary tumor in STAT1-deficient mice. To mimic the hallmark feature of ILC, we used CRISPR-Cas9 to knock out Cdh1. In vitro assays were performed to evaluate the effects of Cdh1 knockout (KO) in both 2D and 3D environments, focusing on cell proliferation and estrogen sensitivity. These experiments demonstrated increased growth of Cdh1 KO SSM3 cells in both 2D and 3D environments, together with altered cell morphology and increased sensitivity to estrogen.For in vivo characterization, we focused on tumor growth and metastasis. SSM3 Scr and Cdh1 KO cells were injected into the mammary fat pad of mice. Initial findings revealed increased tumor growth in mice injected with SSM3 Cdh1 KO cells, while metastasis studies are ongoing. RNA-seq analysis of both SSM3 cells grown in vitro, and in vivo tumor tissues is ongoing and will help to identify distinctive gene expression changes in the Cdh1 KO model. We will also analyze changes in the TME, such as immune cells, ECM and fibroblasts. In summary, we have successfully generated an ER+ syngeneic ILC model, and we expect that growing the cells in vitro and in vivo represents a valuable tool for studying ILC and holds promise for advancing the development of targeted immunotherapies and endocrine therapies for this breast cancer subtype. Citation Format: Insa Thale, Dixcy J. John Mary, Sarah Wang, Lora Rigatti, Jagmohan Hooda, Peter Lucas, George C. Tseng, Adrian V. Lee, Steffi Oesterreich. In vitro and in vivo characterization of Cdh1 CRISPR knockout in syngeneic ER+ SSM3 mouse mammary tumor cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 3925.

Dysregulated actin cytoskeleton gives rise to aberrant cell motility and metastatic spread of tumor cells. This study evaluates the effect of overexpression of wild-type versus functional mutants of MRTF-A on migration and invasion of breast cancer (BC) cells. Our studies indicate that SRF's interaction is critical for MRTF-A-induced promotion of both two-dimensional and three-dimensional cell migration, while the SAP-domain function is important selectively for three-dimensional cell migration. Increased MRTF-A activity is associated with more effective membrane protrusion, a phenotype that is attributed predominantly to SRF's interaction with MRTF. We demonstrate formin-family protein mDia2 as an important mediator of MRTF-stimulated actin polymerization at the leading edge and cell migration. Multiplexed quantitative immunohistochemistry and transcriptome analyses of clinical BC specimens further demonstrate a positive correlation between nuclear localization of MRTF with malignant traits of cancer cells and enrichment of MRTF–SRF gene signature in pair-matched distant metastases versus primary tumors. In conclusion, this study establishes a novel mechanism of MRTF-dependent regulation of cell migration and provides evidence for the association between MRTF activity and increased malignancy in human BC, justifying future development of specific small molecule inhibitors of the MRTF-SRF transcriptional complex as potential therapeutic agents in BC.

Mixed invasive ductal and lobular carcinoma (MDLC) is a rare histologic subtype of breast cancer displaying both E-cadherin positive ductal and E-cadherin negative lobular morphologies within the same tumor, posing challenges with regard to anticipated clinical management. It remains unclear whether these distinct morphologies also have distinct biology and risk of recurrence. Our spatially resolved transcriptomic, genomic, and single-cell profiling revealed clinically significant differences between ductal and lobular tumor regions including distinct intrinsic subtype heterogeneity – e.g., MDLC with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) or basal ductal and estrogen receptor positive (ER+) luminal lobular regions, distinct enrichment of cell cycle arrest/senescence and oncogenic (ER and MYC ) signatures, genetic and epigenetic CDH1 inactivation in lobular but not ductal regions, and single-cell ductal and lobular subpopulations with unique oncogenic signatures further highlighting intraregional heterogeneity. Altogether, we demonstrated that the intratumoral morphological/histological heterogeneity within MDLC is underpinned by intrinsic subtype and oncogenic heterogeneity which may result in prognostic uncertainty and therapeutic dilemma.