Combined inhibition of S100A4 and TIGIT suppresses late-stage breast cancer metastasis to the lung by activating T and NK cells

Abstract

Cancer metastasis is responsible for approximately 90% of cancer-related deaths, but very few treatment options exist currently. While the role of S100A4 in promoting metastasis has been known for decades, this knowledge has not been translated in the clinic. Here, we report that a novel monoclonal antibody against the human S100A4 protein (S1004-11) effectively suppresses breast cancer metastasis in two different mouse models. Importantly, a novel combination of ant-TIGIT and S100A4-11 can suppress lung metastases even in late-stage disease after the lung premetastatic niche (PMN) has already been established similar to a stage when many breast cancer patients are diagnosed. Mechanistically, S1004-11 mAb treatment block the formation of PMN by suppressing neutrophil infiltration and activating natural killer (NK) and T cells in the lung. Single-cell RNA-sequencing and cell:cell communication analyses indicate that TIGIT signaling suppresses NK cells, which is reversed in S100A4-11 treated PMN. In summary, this study provides compelling evidence for a novel mechanism of S100A4 function in PMN formation and the feasibility of using S100A4-11 monoclonal antibody to suppress metastases at different stages of breast cancer progression.