The common mutation BRAFV600 in primary melanomas activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) pathway and the introduction of proto-oncogene B-Raf (BRAF) and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors (BRAFi and MEKi) was a breakthrough in the treatment of these cancers.,However, 15-20% of tumors harbor primary resistance to this therapy, and moreover, patients develop acquired resistance to treatment.,Understanding the molecular phenomena behind resistance to BRAFi/MEKis is indispensable in order to develop novel targeted therapies.,Most often, resistance develops due to either the reactivation of the MAPK/ERK pathway or the activation of alternative kinase signaling pathways including phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), neurofibromin 1 (NF-1) or RAS signaling.,The hyperactivation of tyrosine kinase receptors, such as the receptor of the platelet-derived growth factor β (PDFRβ), insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) and the receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), lead to the induction of the AKT/3-phosphoinositol kinase (PI3K) pathway.,Another pathway resulting in BRAFi/MEKi resistance is the hyperactivation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling or the deregulation of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF).
Conventional type 1 dendritic cells (cDC1) are critical for antitumor immunity, and their abundance within tumors is associated with immune-mediated rejection and the success of immunotherapy.,Here, we show that cDC1 accumulation in mouse tumors often depends on natural killer (NK) cells that produce the cDC1 chemoattractants CCL5 and XCL1.,Similarly, in human cancers, intratumoral CCL5, XCL1, and XCL2 transcripts closely correlate with gene signatures of both NK cells and cDC1 and are associated with increased overall patient survival.,Notably, tumor production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) leads to evasion of the NK cell-cDC1 axis in part by impairing NK cell viability and chemokine production, as well as by causing downregulation of chemokine receptor expression in cDC1.,Our findings reveal a cellular and molecular checkpoint for intratumoral cDC1 recruitment that is targeted by tumor-derived PGE2 for immune evasion and that could be exploited for cancer therapy.,•NK cells recruit cDC1 into the tumor microenvironment•cDC1 recruitment depends on NK cell-derived chemokines CCL5 and XCL1•The NK cell/chemokine/cDC1 axis is associated with cancer patient survival•Tumor-derived PGE2 impairs NK cell and cDC1 resulting in cancer immune evasion,NK cells recruit cDC1 into the tumor microenvironment,cDC1 recruitment depends on NK cell-derived chemokines CCL5 and XCL1,The NK cell/chemokine/cDC1 axis is associated with cancer patient survival,Tumor-derived PGE2 impairs NK cell and cDC1 resulting in cancer immune evasion,Natural killer cells recruit dendritic cells to the tumor microenvironment, and disruption of this process results in cancer immune evasion.