scholarly journals T cell infiltration on local CpG-B delivery in early-stage melanoma is predominantly related to CLEC9A+CD141+ cDC1 and CD14+ antigen-presenting cell recruitment

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. e001962
Author(s):  
Bas D Koster ◽  
Marta López González ◽  
Mari FCM van den Hout ◽  
Annelies W Turksma ◽  
Berbel JR Sluijter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
Injection Site ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Cell Infiltration ◽  
Antigen Presenting Cell ◽  
Reticular Dermis ◽  
T Cell Infiltration ◽  
Flow Cytometric ◽  
Antigen Presenting

BackgroundWe previously reported CpG-B injection at the primary tumor excision site prior to re-excision and sentinel node biopsy to result in immune activation of the sentinel lymph node (SLN), increased melanoma-specific CD8+ T cell rates in peripheral blood, and prolonged recurrence-free survival. Here, we assessed recruitment and activation of antigen-presenting cell (APC) subsets in the SLN and at the injection site in relation to T cell infiltration.MethodsRe-excision skin specimens from patients with clinical stage I-II melanoma, collected 7 days after intradermal injection of either saline (n=10) or 8 mg CpG-B (CPG7909, n=12), were examined by immunohistochemistry, quantifying immune subsets in the epidermis, papillary, and reticular dermis. Counts were related to flow cytometric data from matched SLN samples. Additional in vitro cultures and transcriptional analyses on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were performed to ascertain CpG-induced APC activation and chemokine profiles.ResultsSignificant increases in CD83+, CD14+, CD68+, and CD123+ APC were observed in the reticular dermis of CpG-B-injected skin samples. Fluorescent double/triple staining revealed recruitment of both CD123+BDCA2+ plasmacytoid dendritic cells (DCs) and BDCA3/CD141+CLEC9A+ type-1 conventional DC (cDC1), of which only the cDC1 showed considerable levels of CD83 expression. Simultaneous CpG-B-induced increases in T cell infiltration were strongly correlated with both cDC1 and CD14 counts. Moreover, cDC1 and CD14+ APC rates in the reticular dermis and matched SLN suspensions were positively correlated. Flow cytometric, transcriptional, and chemokine release analyses of PBMC, on in vitro or in vivo exposure to CpG-B, indicate a role for the activation and recruitment of both cDC1 and CD14+ monocyte-derived APCs in the release of CXCL10 and subsequent T cell infiltration.ConclusionThe CpG-B-induced concerted recruitment of cDC1 and CD14+ APC to the injection site and its draining lymph nodes may allow for both the (cross-)priming of T cells and their subsequent homing to effector sites.

scholarly journals Artemisinin Attenuates Transplant Rejection by Inhibiting Multiple Lymphocytes and Prolongs Cardiac Allograft Survival

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Yang ◽  
Fei Han ◽  
Tao Liao ◽  
Haofeng Zheng ◽  
Zihuan Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
B Cells ◽  
Transplant Rejection ◽  
Cell Infiltration ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Antibody Mediated Rejection ◽  
T Cell Infiltration ◽  
Cytokine Levels ◽  
Immunological Rejection

Immunological rejection is an important factor resulting in allograft dysfunction, and more valid therapeutic methods need to be explored to improve allograft outcomes. Many researches have indicated that artemisinin and its derivative exhibits immunosuppressive functions, apart from serving as a traditional anti-malarial drug. In this assay, we further explored the therapeutic effects of artemisinin for transplant rejection in a rat cardiac transplantation model. We found that it markedly attenuated allograft rejection and histological injury and significantly prolonged the survival of allograft. Upon further exploring the mechanism, we demonstrated that artemisinin not only attenuated T cell-mediated rejection (TCMR) by reducing effector T cell infiltration and inflammatory cytokine secretion and increasing regulatory T cell infiltration and immunoregulatory cytokine levels, but also attenuated antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) through inhibition of B cells activation and antibody production. Furthermore, artemisinin also reduced macrophage infiltration in allografts, which was determined to be important for TCMR and ABMR. Moreover, we demonstrated that artemisinin significantly inhibited the function of pure T cells, B cells, and macrophages in vitro. All in all, this study provide evidence that artemisinin significantly attenuates TCMR and ABMR by targeting multiple effectors. Therefore, this agent might have potential for use in clinical settings to protect against transplant rejection.

scholarly journals SOD3 induces a HIF-2α-dependent program in endothelial cells that provides a selective signal for tumor infiltration by T cells

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e000432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorena Carmona-Rodríguez ◽  
Diego Martínez-Rey ◽  
Maria Jesús Fernández-Aceñero ◽  
Alicia González-Martín ◽  
Mateo Paz-Cabezas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
T Lymphocytes ◽  
Adhesion Molecule ◽  
Cell Infiltration ◽  
Tumor Infiltration ◽  
T Cell Infiltration

BackgroundTumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), mainly CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), are linked to immune-mediated control of human cancers and response to immunotherapy. Tumors have nonetheless developed specific mechanisms that selectively restrict T cell entry into the tumor microenvironment. The extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD3) is an anti-oxidant enzyme usually downregulated in tumors. We hypothesize that upregulation of SOD3 in the tumor microenvironment might be a mechanism to boost T cell infiltration by normalizing the tumor-associated endothelium.ResultsHere we show that SOD3 overexpression in endothelial cells increased in vitro transmigration of naïve and activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, but not of myeloid cells. Perivascular expression of SOD3 also specifically increased CD4+ and CD8+ effector T cell infiltration into tumors and improved the effectiveness of adoptively transferred tumor-specific CD8+ T cells. SOD3-induced enhanced transmigration in vitro and tumor infiltration in vivo were not associated to upregulation of T cell chemokines such as CXCL9 or CXCL10, nor to changes in the levels of endothelial adhesion receptors such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) or vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). Instead, SOD3 enhanced T cell infiltration via HIF-2α-dependent induction of specific WNT ligands in endothelial cells; this led to WNT signaling pathway activation in the endothelium, FOXM1 stabilization, and transcriptional induction of laminin-α4 (LAMA4), an endothelial basement membrane component permissive for T cell infiltration. In patients with stage II colorectal cancer, SOD3 was associated with increased CD8+ TIL density and disease-free survival. SOD3 expression was also linked to a T cell–inflamed gene signature using the COAD cohort from The Cancer Genome Atlas program.ConclusionOur findings suggest that SOD3-induced upregulation of LAMA4 in endothelial cells boosts selective tumor infiltration by T lymphocytes, thus transforming immunologically “cold” into “hot” tumors. High SOD3 levels are associated with human colon cancer infiltration by CD8+ T cells, with potential consequences for the clinical outcome of these patients. Our results also uncover a cell type–specific, distinct activity of the WNT pathway for the regulation of T cell infiltration into tumors.

Tumor-derived GDF-15 to suppress t-lymphocyte recruitment to the tumor microenvironment resulting in resistance to ANTI-PD-1 treatment.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e14532-e14532
Author(s):  
Joerg Wischhusen ◽  
Markus Haake ◽  
Neha Vashist ◽  
Sabrina Genßler ◽  
Kilian Wistuba-Hamprecht ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Cell Infiltration ◽  
Immune Cell Infiltration ◽  
T Cell Infiltration ◽  
Melanoma Patients

e14532 Background: Growth and differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is a divergent member of the TGF-β superfamily with low to absent expression in healthy tissue. GDF-15 has been linked to feto-maternal immune tolerance, to prevention of excessive immune cell infiltration during tissue damage, and to anorexia. Various major tumor types secrete high levels of GDF-15. In cancer patients, elevated GDF-15 serum levels correlate with poor prognosis and reduced overall survival (OS). Methods: Impact of a proprietary GDF-15 neutralizing antibody (CTL-002) regarding T cell trafficking was analyzed by whole blood adhesion assays, a HV18-MK melanoma-bearing humanized mouse model and a GDF-15-transgenic MC38 model. Additionally, patient GDF-15 serum levels were correlated with clinical response and overall survival in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) and melanoma brain metastases. Results: In whole blood cell adhesion assays GDF-15 impairs adhesion of T and NK cells to activated endothelial cells. Neutralization of GDF-15 by CTL-002 rescued T cell adhesion. In HV18-MK-bearing humanized mice CTL-002 induced a strong increase in TIL numbers. Subset analysis revealed an overproportional enrichment of T cells, in particular CD8+ T cells. As immune cell exclusion is detrimental for checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) therapy, a GDF-15-transgenic MC38 model was tested for anti-PD-1 therapy efficacy. In GDF-15 overexpressing MC38 tumors response to anti PD-1 therapy was reduced by 90% compared to wtMC38 tumors. Combining aPD-1 with CTL-002 resulted in 50% of the mice rejecting their GDF-15 overexpressing tumors. Clinically, inverse correlations of GDF-15 levels with CD8+ T cell infiltration were shown for HPV+ OPSCC and for melanoma brain metastases. GDF-15 serum levels were significantly higher in HPV- than in HPV+ OPSCC patient (p < 0.0001). Low GDF-15 levels corresponded to longer OS in both HPV- and HPV+ OPSCC. In two independent melanoma patient cohorts treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab low baseline serum GDF-15 levels were predictive for clinical response to anti-PD1 treatment and superior OS. Bivariate analysis including LDH indicates that GDF-15 independently predicts poor survival in aPD-1 treated melanoma patients. Conclusions: Taken together our in vitro and in vivo data show that elevated GDF-15 levels block T-cell infiltration into tumor tissues. Neutralizing GDF-15 with CTL-002 restores the ability of T cells to extravasate blood vessels and enter tumor tissue both in vitro and in vivo. In melanoma, patients with higher GDF-15 levels have significantly shorter survival and are less likely to respond to anti-PD1 therapy. GDF-15 may thus serve as a new predictive biomarker for anti-PD1 response, but most importantly also represents a novel target for cancer immunotherapy to improve tumor immune cell infiltration and response to anti-PD1 therapy.

858 A bispecific antibody targeting CD40 and EpCAM induces superior anti-tumor effects compared to the combination of the monospecific antibodies

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A911-A911
Author(s):  
Peter Ellmark ◽  
Karin Hägerbrand ◽  
Mattias Levin ◽  
Laura Von Schantz ◽  
Adnan Deronic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Tumor Cell ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Tumor Target ◽  
T Cell Infiltration ◽  
Antigen Presenting ◽  
Monospecific Antibodies

BackgroundAlligator has developed a new concept, Neo-X’, to enable antigen presenting cells to efficiently enhance priming of neoantigen-specific T cells, which may be the missing aspect in tumors that lack T cell infiltration. We hypothesize that binding of the CD40 x EpCAM bsAb (4224) to CD40 on DCs and EpCAM on tumor exosomes or tumor debris leads to i) activation of the DC, ii) uptake of the tumor material, iii) cross-presentation of tumor-derived neoantigen (present in exosomes or debris) and iiii) priming of tumor neoantigen-specific T cells, resulting in an increased quantity and/or quality of the tumor-targeting T cell pool. CD40 crosslinking by engagement with a tumor antigen on a tumor cell is required to achieve a functional agonistic effect, and subsequent DC activation will therefore only be achieved in the presence of tumor antigens.Methods4224 evaluated in vitro using human monocyte-derived DC, co-cultured with cells expressing EpCAM. In addition the functional effects were evaluated using tumor cell lines and B-cell lines expressing CD40. In vivo, the anti-tumor efficacy of the CD40 x EpCAM bsAb was determined in human CD40 transgenic mice bearing MB49 bladder carcinoma tumors transfected with human EpCAM or controls.ResultsIn vitro, we have demonstrated that the CD40 x EpCAM bsAb induces tumor target dependent activation of dendritic cells, as analyzed by flow cytometry measuring HLA-DR and CD86 expression on the DC and by measuring IL-12p40 levels in the supernatant. Further, the ability of bsAbs within the Neo-X’ concept to mediate co-localization of tumor debris and CD40 expressing antigen presenting cells depends on the receptor density of the tumor target. In vivo, 4224 displayed a potent, EpCAM-dependent anti-tumor effect with significantly reduced tumor growth and improved survival compared to an equivalent dose of the combination of the monospecific CD40 Ab and EpCAM targeting antibody. The tumor-localizing property of 4224 also shows potential for improved safety compared to CD40 monospecific antibodies. A biodistribution analysis demonstrated that the bispecific 4224 in the RUBY-format displayed similar half-life as the monospecific CD40 mAb in mice.ConclusionsIn conclusion, the Neo-X’ concept, by targeting CD40 and a tumor specific antigen, has the potential to mediate an expansion of the tumor-specific T cell repertoire, resulting in increased T cell infiltration and potent anti-tumor effects.

scholarly journals EMP3 mediates glioblastoma‐associated macrophage infiltration to drive T cell exclusion

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qun Chen ◽  
Jing Jin ◽  
Xin Huang ◽  
Fan Wu ◽  
Hongguang Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
Immune Modulation ◽  
Tumour Progression ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Bioinformatic Analysis ◽  
Cell Infiltration ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
T Cell Infiltration

Abstract Background The immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment is a critical factor in the initiation and progression of glioblastoma (GBM), which is characterized by an abundance of tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) but a paucity of infiltrating T cells. In this research, we studied whether epithelial membrane protein 3 (EMP3) plays a crucial role in immune modulation in GBM. Methods TCGA and CGGA transcriptomic profiles of wild-type IDH1 GBM were used for bioinformatic analysis. The role of EMP3 in GBM was validated through in vivo and in vitro experiments. Human GBM specimens were collected and evaluated using immunofluorescence analysis. Results EMP3 was associated with immunosuppression in GBM. Elevated EMP3 in GBM areas was accompanied by high expression of PD-L1 and abundant M2 TAM recruitment but a lake of T cell infiltration. We found that EMP3 was a potent protein in M2 TAM polarization and recruitment that impaired the ability of GBM cells to secrete CCL2 and TGF-β1. Furthermore, EMP3 suppressed T cell infiltration into GBM tumours by inhibiting the secretion of CXCL9 and CXCL10 by macrophages and led to an effective response to anti-PD1 therapy. Conclusions EMP3 is thus a critical immunosuppressive factor for recruiting TAMs in GBM and suppressing intratumoural T cell infiltration to facilitate tumour progression and is a potential therapeutic target.

scholarly journals Human Hyaluronidase PH20 Potentiates the Antitumor Activities of Mesothelin-Specific CAR-T Cells Against Gastric Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruocong Zhao ◽  
Yuanbin Cui ◽  
Yongfang Zheng ◽  
Shanglin Li ◽  
Jiang Lv ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Solid Tumors ◽  
Cell Infiltration ◽  
Car T Cells ◽  
Car T Cell ◽  
T Cell Infiltration ◽  
Car T

T cell infiltration into tumors is essential for successful immunotherapy against solid tumors. Herein, we found that the expression of hyaluronic acid synthases (HAS) was negatively correlated with patient survival in multiple types of solid tumors including gastric cancer. HA impeded in vitro anti-tumor activities of anti-mesothelin (MSLN) chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells) against gastric cancer cells by restricting CAR-T cell mobility in vitro. We then constructed a secreted form of the human hyaluronidase PH20 (termed sPH20-IgG2) by replacing the PH20 signal peptide with a tPA signal peptide and attached with IgG2 Fc fragments. We found that overexpression of sPH20-IgG2 promoted CAR-T cell transmigration through an HA-containing matrix but did not affect the cytotoxicity or cytokine secretion of the CAR-T cells. In BGC823 and MKN28 gastric cancer cell xenografts, sPH20-IgG2 promoted anti-mesothelin CAR-T cell infiltration into tumors. Furthermore, mice infused with sPH20-IgG2 overexpressing anti-MSLN CAR-T cells had smaller tumors than mice injected with anti-MSLN CAR-T cells. Thus, we demonstrated that sPH20-IgG2 can enhance the antitumor activity of CAR-T cells against solid tumors by promoting CAR-T cell infiltration.

scholarly journals The landscape of T cell infiltration in human cancer and its association with antigen presenting gene expression

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasin Senbabaoglu ◽  
Andrew G Winer ◽  
Ron S Gejman ◽  
Ming Liu ◽  
Augustin Luna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
T Cell Subsets ◽  
Cell Infiltration ◽  
Th2 Cells ◽  
Immune Infiltration ◽  
T Cell Infiltration ◽  
Mutation Burden ◽  
Antigen Presenting

Infiltrating T cells in the tumor microenvironment have crucial roles in the competing processes of pro-tumor and anti-tumor immune response. However, the infiltration level of distinct T cell subsets and the signals that draw them into a tumor, such as the expression of antigen presenting machinery (APM) genes, remain poorly characterized across human cancers. Here, we define a novel mRNA-based T cell infiltration score (TIS) and profile infiltration levels in 19 tumor types. We find that clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the highest for TIS and among the highest for the correlation between TIS and APM expression, despite a modest mutation burden. This finding is contrary to the expectation that immune infiltration and mutation burden are linked. To further characterize the immune infiltration in ccRCC, we use RNA-seq data to computationally infer the infiltration levels of 24 immune cell types in a discovery cohort of 415 ccRCC patients and validate our findings in an independent cohort of 101 ccRCC patients. We find three clusters of tumors that are primarily separated by levels of T cell infiltration and APM gene expression. In ccRCC, the levels of Th17 cells and the ratio of CD8+ T/Treg levels are associated with improved survival whereas the levels of Th2 cells and Tregs are associated with negative clinical outcome. Our analysis illustrates the utility of computational immune cell decomposition for solid tumors, and the potential of this method to guide clinical decision-making.

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