Unveiling DEFB1 as a novel driver and promising therapeutic target in lung adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma, one of the most prevalent malignancies, underscores the urgency of identifying genes linked to its proliferation and prognosis for developing targeted therapies. In this study, we performed genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screening both in vitro and in vivo, and subsequently cross-referenced the findings with prognosis-related genes in lung adenocarcinoma. The screening results revealed that DEFB1 promotes lung adenocarcinoma proliferation, while our integrated analysis of single-cell sequencing, multiplex immunohistochemistry, TCGA, and GEO data concurrently demonstrated elevated DEFB1 expression in cancer cells, along with a negative correlation between DEFB1 expression and patient survival. Subsequently, functional studies employing DEFB1 knockout cells, re-expressed DEFB1 cells, and knockout cells supplemented with exogenous DEFB1 revealed that DEFB1 significantly enhances cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Co-immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry experiments was performed to uncover the mechanism of DEFB1, demonstrating that it interacts with Periplakin (PPL) to induce epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and proliferation, while simultaneously binding to Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) to enhance M2 macrophage polarization. Furthermore, we developed multiple anti-DEFB1 monoclonal antibodies and found one of them, mAb-5, potently blocked DEFB1's function and inhibited lung adenocarcinoma progression in cell lines, organoids, xenografts, and spontaneous lung cancer models, while maintaining a favorable safety profile. Overall, our study identifies DEFB1 as a novel driver of lung adenocarcinoma, and the anti-DEFB1 monoclonal antibody mAb-5 emerges as a promising therapeutic candidate with significant potential.