Spatial tumor immune heterogeneity facilitates subtype co-existence and therapy response via AP1 dichotomy in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) displays a high degree of spatial subtype heterogeneity. This intratumoral co-existence of classical and basal-like programs is evident in multi-scale transcriptomic and spatial analyses of resected, advanced-stage and chemotherapy-treated specimens and reciprocally linked to a diverse stromal immune microenvironment as well as worse clinical outcome. However, the underlying mechanisms of intratumoral subtype heterogeneity remain largely unclear. Here, by combining preclinical models, multi-center clinical, bulk and compartment-specific transcriptomic, proteomic, and bioimaging data from human specimens, we identified an interplay between neoplastic intrinsic AP1 transcription factor dichotomy and extrinsic CD68 + macrophages as a driver of intratumoral subtype co-existence along with an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment with T cell exclusion. Our ATAC-, ChIP-, and RNA-seq analyses revealed that JUNB/AP1- and HDAC-mediated epigenetic programs repress pro-inflammatory immune signatures in tumor cells, antagonizing cJUN/AP1 signaling to favor a therapy-responsive classical neoplastic identity. Through the tumor microenvironment, this dichotomous regulation was further amplified via regional macrophage populations. Moreover, CD68 + /TNF-α + cells associated with a reactive phenotype and reduced CD8 + T cell infiltration in human PDAC tumors. Consequently, combined anti-TNF-α immunotherapy and chemotherapy resulted in reduced macrophage counts and promoted CD3 + /CD8 + T cell infiltration in basal-like PDAC, leading to improved survival in preclinical murine models. We conclude that tumor cell intrinsic epigenetic programs, together with extrinsic microenvironmental cues, facilitate intratumoral subtype heterogeneity and disease progression.