Journal Article DKFZ-2026-01553

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png
Reduced DPP9 levels sensitize experimental breast tumors to combinatory treatment with irradiation and Olaparib.

 ;  ;  ;

2026
Frontiers Media Lausanne

Frontiers in oncology 16, 1845048 () [10.3389/fonc.2026.1845048]
 GO

Abstract: Breast cancer is a heterogenous disease with various molecular subtypes. Among these, triple-negative breast cancer has the worst prognosis due to its high aggressiveness and limited availability of targeted therapies. In breast cancers, reduced expression of dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9) is associated with a poor patient prognosis. To model reduced DPP9 expression, we transplanted the human triple-negative breast cancer cell line MDA.MB.231 with an inducible genetic DPP9 deficiency in the mammary fat pad of immunocompromised mice. As expected, tumors with DPP9 deficiency showed an increased weight as well as more lung metastasis compared to controls. This phenotype seems to be promoted by increased vessel formation in the tumor due to DPP9 deficiency. Upon irradiation (2 × 9 Gy), tumor growth was initially reduced independent of DPP9 expression, although DPP9-deficient tumors grew out faster after irradiation compared to controls. Additionally, more metastases were formed in mice with DPP9-deficient tumors compared to controls as well as untreated mice with tumors of both genotypes. As proteolytic cleavage of BRCA2 by DPP9 was previously shown to promote repair of DNA double-strand breaks by homologous recombination, the poly-ADP-ribose-polymerase (PARP) inhibitor Olaparib (25 mg/kg) was applied to mice in combination with local irradiation in order to test for synthetic lethality effects. The results revealed further reduction in tumor growth compared to untreated and irradiated mice. Furthermore, DPP9 deficiency together with combined irradiation/PARP inhibition further reduced tumor growth compared to control tumors. Yet, metastasis formation presented with a mixed outcome in mice with DPP9-deficient tumors. In summary, reduced DPP9 levels enhanced primary tumor growth but sensitized triple-negative breast tumors to a combination of irradiation and Olaparib.

Keyword(s): Olaparib ; breast cancer ; combination therapy ; irradiation ; protease ; synthetic lethality

Classification:

Note: #DKTKZFB9#

Contributing Institute(s):
  1. DKTK Koordinierungsstelle Freiburg (FR01)
Research Program(s):
  1. 899 - ohne Topic (POF4-899) (POF4-899)

Appears in the scientific report 2026
Database coverage:
Medline ; Creative Commons Attribution CC BY (No Version) ; DOAJ ; Article Processing Charges ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Clinical Medicine ; DOAJ Seal ; Essential Science Indicators ; Fees ; IF < 5 ; JCR ; PubMed Central ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection
Click to display QR Code for this record

The record appears in these collections:
Document types > Articles > Journal Article
Public records
Publications database

 Record created 2026-06-29, last modified 2026-07-03


Rate this document:

Rate this document:
1
2
3
 
(Not yet reviewed)