HDAC and MEK inhibition synergistically suppresses HOXC6 and enhances PD-1 blockade efficacy in BRAF-mutant microsatellite stable colorectal cancer.

Background: B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF)-mutant microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC) constitutes a distinct CRC subgroup, traditionally perceived as minimally responsive to standard therapies. Recent clinical attempts, such as BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) monotherapy and combining BRAFi with other inhibitors, have yielded unsatisfactory efficacy. This study aims to identify a novel therapeutic strategy for this challenging subgroup.

Methods: We first performed a large-scale drug screening using patient-derived organoid models and cell lines to pinpoint potential therapies. Subsequently, we investigated the synergistic effects of identified effective inhibitors and probed their cooperative mechanisms. Concurrently, we explored the immune characteristics of BRAF MSS CRC using RNA sequencing and multiplex immunohistochemistry. Finally, we established a CT26 BRAF mouse cell line and validated the efficacy of combining these inhibitors and programmed death 1 (PD-1) blockades in immunocompetent mice.

Results: Drug screening identified histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor as significantly effective against BRAF MSS CRC. Further research revealed that these two inhibitors have superior synergistic effects by comprehensively inhibiting the activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B pathways and suppressing the key target homeobox C6 (HOXC6). HOXC6, overexpressed in BRAF MSS CRC, regulates the MYC gene and contributes to treatment resistance, tumor growth, and metastasis. Moreover, the combination therapy demonstrated the ability to enhance antitumor immunity by synergistically upregulating the expression of immune activation-related genes, activating the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase/stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS/STING) pathway, and diminishing the tumor cells' DNA mismatch repair capacity. Notably, BRAF MSS CRC was identified to exhibit a distinct immune microenvironment with increased PD-1 cell infiltration and potential responsiveness to immunotherapy. Echoing the above findings, in vivo, HDAC and MEK inhibitors significantly improved PD-1 blockade efficacy, accompanied by increased CD8 T-cell infiltration.

Conclusions: Our findings indicate that combining HDAC inhibitor, MEK inhibitor, and PD-1 blockade is a potential strategy for treating BRAF-mutant MSS CRC, warranting further investigation in clinical settings.