Conserved interferon-gamma signaling and decreased immune exclusion programs in responses to immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Conserved interferon-gamma signaling and decreased immune exclusion programs in responses to immune checkpoint blockade therapy

Purpose: We treated melanoma cell lines with IFNG to assess which ones would be resistant or responsive to T-cell attack. Methods: We treated the melanoma cell lines with IFNG and then sequenced them at 6 hours to assess changes the transcriptome. Results: Unless the cell lines had JAK1 or JAK2 KO, they responded very consistently with human melanocytes (normals), revealing a consistent signature for IFNG response in melanoma. Conclusions: IFNG signaling is conserved in melanoma cell lines, and there are genes that go down in IFNG that allow immune infiltration to make immune blockade response possible. Overall design: Melanoma cell line mRNA profiles befor and after 6 hours of treatment with interferon gamma.