Abstract A076: LINE-1 ORF1p mimics viral innate immune evasion mechanisms in pancreatic cancer

Abstract Aberrant expression of repeat elements displaying viral mimicry is a common feature found in both mouse models and human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, cancer cells must employ mechanisms to manage this "viral" repeat element load to avoid triggering innate immune responses. Here, we demonstrate that the long interspersed nuclear element 1 (LINE-1) ORF1 protein (ORF1p) in PDAC cells plays a role in shielding repeat RNAs from activating pathogen recognition receptor (PRR)-mediated antiviral responses, independent of retrotransposition. Suppression of ORF1p using lentiviral shRNA induces innate immune responses through the PRRs, RIG-I and MAVS (double-stranded RNA sensors). Interestingly, PDAC cell lines with low ORF1p lack these two receptors, suggesting convergent mechanisms to suppress PRR signaling. Furthermore, RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (RIP-seq) demonstrates ORF1p association with repeat RNA, including LINE and SINE elements that typically trigger antiviral responses. Subcellular localization of ORF1p in processing bodies (p-bodies) reveals specific interaction with MOV10, a dsRNA helicase crucial for antiviral responses. Loss of ORF1p results in significant growth reduction in vitro and in vivo, which supports ORF1p as a potential immune oncology therapeutic target. Altogether, our results demonstrate a novel function of ORF1p in shielding cytoplasmic repeat RNA from PRR sensing, shedding light on how PDAC cells evade host immune responses triggered by viral-like repeat RNA. Citation Format: Eunae You, Bidish Patel, Alexandra Rojas, Siyu Sun, Natalie Ho, Ildiko Phillips, Michael Raabe, Yuhui Song, Katherine Xu, Joshua Kocher, Peter Richieri, Martin Taylor, Linda Nieman, Benjamin Greenbaum, David Ting. LINE-1 ORF1p mimics viral innate immune evasion mechanisms in pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Research; 2024 Sep 15-18; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(17 Suppl_2):Abstract nr A076.