Abstract 5880: The role of SOAT1 on CD8+T cells-mediated immune response in ovarian cancer

Introduction: Sterol-O acyltransferase 1 (SOAT1) functions by converting cholesterol and acyl-CoA into cholesterol ester and coA-SH. High SOAT1 expression with its mediated tumorigenesis has been shown in multiple cancers. Studies showed that SOAT1 inhibition by its inhibitors augmented the outcome of immunotherapies, in terms of the immune checkpoint blockades, cancer vaccines, and CAR-T cells, by boosting the function of T cells. However, in order to have a better understanding of the role played by SOAT1 in the tumor microenvironment of ovarian cancer (OC) and optimize strategies of combination immunotherapy, it’s necessary to detect the role of SOAT1 in OC cells on T cell-mediated immune response. Methods: SOAT1 knockdown was manipulated by siRNAs transfection. SOAT1 was inhibited by avasimibe and OC cells were treated in different doses of avasimibe. qPCR was performed to detect gene expressions in ovarian cancer cells. T cells, isolated and activated from healthy donors, were cocultured with SOAT1-silenced and avasimibe pre-treated OC cells and their tumor-conditioned medium (TCM). Flow cytometry analysis was used to measure cytotoxic secretory molecules of human T cells, like IFN-r, TNF-a, and Granzyme B. Results: The downregulation of intracellular cytotoxic cytokines was shown in the T cells cocultured with SOAT1-silenced and avasimibe-pretreated OC cells or treated by their TCM, thereby impairing the cytotoxic capacity of T cells, compared to the corresponding control group. qPCR results showed that several immunosuppressive cytokines, like IL-6, IL-8, TGF- were upregulated in the SOAT1-silenced or avasimibe-treated OC cells. Conclusion: SOAT1 inhibition in ovarian tumor cells impairs CD8+ T cell cytotoxic function, to some extent, via the upregulation of immunosuppressive-related cytokines. Citation Format: Jiangnan He, Michelle K.Y. Siu, Runying Long, Ruiqian Zhang, Mingo M.H. Yung, Hextan Y. S. Ngan, Karen K.L. Chan. The role of SOAT1 on CD8+T cells-mediated immune response in ovarian cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 5880.