Cancer cells are embedded within a microenvironment populated with cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) with whom they establish two-way communications through paracrine factors and physical interactions. Through these interactions, CAFs play pivotal roles in cancer and have emerged as promising therapeutic target.

To unravel key contributors of CAF-tumour/stroma cell interactions, we have developed mass spectrometry (MS)-based approaches to map proteins secreted in condition medium and extracellular matrix (ECM). Through an extensive MS-proteomic comparative analysis of CAFs with their normal fibroblasts (NFs) counterpart, we have identified the chloride intracellular channel protein 3 (CLIC3), a protein previously considered an intracellular chloride channel (regulator), as one of the most upregulated proteins in CAFs and deposited in the ECM.

Secreted CLIC3 promotes invasive behaviour of endothelial cells to drive blood vessels growth and increases invasiveness of cancer cells, both in vivo and in 3D cell culture models, via activation of the tissue transglutaminase-2 (TGM2). We found that CLIC3 is a glutathione-dependent oxidoreductase that reduces TGM2 and regulates TGM2 binding to its cofactors. Finally, CLIC3 is also secreted by cancer cells, is abundant in the stromal and tumour compartments of aggressive ovarian cancers and its levels in primary tumours and omental metastases correlate with poor clinical outcome.

Our work has unraveled an unprecedented mechanism of cell invasion to be explored for targeting in ovarian cancer.

Citation Format: Juan R Hernandez-Fernaud, Elena Ruengeler, Lisa J Neilson, Shehab Ismail, Iain McNeish, Samuel Atkinson, Sergio Lilla, Alice Santi, Stella M Valenzuela, Karen Blyth, Huabing Yin, Massimiliano Mazzone, Jim C Norman and Sara Zanivan. PRO-INVASIVE TUMOUR-STROMA INTERACTIONS: ROLE OF THE SECRETED OXIDOREDUCTASE CLIC3 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 12th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium; Sep 13-15, 2018; Seattle, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2019;25(22 Suppl):Abstract nr AP18.