DNAJ-PKAc induces metabolic rewiring and enhanced glutamine flux in fibrolamellar HCC.

[BACKGROUND & AIMS] Fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC) is a pediatric and adolescent liver cancer that is characterized by a recurrent fusion of DNAJB1 and PRKACA, yielding a chimeric translated protein, DNAJ-PKAc. PRKACA encodes the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A (PKA), a regulator of cellular metabolism.

[METHODS] We generated a syngeneic murine model of FLC, TIBx. We utilized preclinical models of FLC and human specimens to characterize the metabolic and immune effects of DNAJ-PKAc.

[RESULTS] DNAJ-PKAc induced a high glycolytic and glutamine flux to support nucleotide metabolism. As compared to parental TIBx tumors, TIBx tumors demonstrated reduced T-cell infiltration with impaired T-cell activation. Systemic administration of a glutamine antagonist reversed the immune-inactivated phenotype of TIBx tumors and provided tumor control in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

[CONCLUSION] The presence of DNAJ-PKAc creates a vulnerability to the combination of glutamine antimetabolite and immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in FLC.

[IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS] The DNAJ-PKAc fusion in fibrolamellar carcinoma induces metabolic reprogramming, including enhanced glutamine metabolism, which promotes immune evasion. Targeting this metabolic vulnerability with a glutamine antagonist, in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors, reverses the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, offering a promising therapeutic strategy for fibrolamellar carcinoma treatment.