DCLK1-Isoform2 Alternative Splice Variant Promotes Pancreatic Tumor Immunosuppressive M2-Macrophage Polarization

Tumor-associated M2-macrophages are one of the most abundant immunosuppressive cell types in the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the generation of M2-macrophages are unclear. Here, we demonstrated that overexpression of DCLK1-isoform2 in AsPC1 and MIA PaCa2 cells resulted in the polarization of M1-macrophages toward an M2 phenotype via secreted chemokines/cytokines. These M2-macrophages enhanced parental PDAC cell migration, invasion, and self-renewal, and this was associated with increased expression of Snail and Slug. We observed distinct expression of Dclk-isoform2, marked infiltration of M2-macrophages, and a marginal increase of CD8⁺ T cells in 20-week-old KPCY mice pancreas compared with 5 weeks old. Utilizing an autochthonous mouse model of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, we observed distinct immunoreactive Dclk1 and arginase1 in tissues where CD8⁺ T-cell infiltration was low and observed a paucity of DCLK1 and arginase1 staining where CD8⁺ T-cell infiltration was high. Finally, we found that DCLK1-isoform2 tumor-educated M2-macrophages inhibit CD8⁺ T-cell proliferation and granzyme-B activation. Inhibition of DCLK1 in an organoid coculture system enhanced CD8⁺ T-cell activation and associated organoid death. We conclude that DCLK1-isoform2 is a novel initiator of alternate macrophage activation that contributes to the immunosuppression observed in the PDAC TME. These data suggest that tumor DCLK1-isoform2 may be an attractive target for PDAC therapy, either alone or in conjunction with immunotherapeutic strategies.