Most cited article - PubMed ID 31623665
Tumor-infiltrating B cells affect the progression of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma via cell-to-cell interactions with CD8+ T cells
BACKGROUND: High densities of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are associated with improved clinical outcomes in various malignancies, including human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, the role of TLSs in shaping antitumor immunity in HPV-induced cervical cancer (CESC) remains unclear. Therefore, we analyzed the density, composition, and prognostic impact of TLSs in patients with CESC as well as patients with HNSCC. METHODS: Multiplex immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and spatial transcriptomics were used to analyze TLS density and composition in HNSCC and CESC tissue sections with respect to patient prognosis. The spatial approach was supplemented by flow cytometry-based analysis of the polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cell (PMN-MDSC) phenotype in freshly resected primary tumor tissues. RESULTS: Although both indications were associated with HPV infection, we confirmed a positive correlation between TLS density and improved overall survival only in patients with HNSCC. The TLS composition differed markedly between HNSCC and CESC samples, with a shift toward high regulatory T cell (Treg) and PMN-MDSC abundance in CESC samples. The highest Treg and PMN-MDSC levels were observed in patients with CESC who died of the disease. CESC-infiltrating PMN-MDSCs showed high arginase 1 expression, which correlated with diminished T-cell receptor (TCR)ζ chain expression in CESC-infiltrating T cells. Additionally, the high number of PMN-MDSCs in TLSs was associated with the absence of HPV-specific T cells in CESC. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike in HNSCC, the composition of TLSs, rather than their quantity, was associated with the overall survival of patients with CESC. High numbers of Tregs and PMN-MDSCs infiltrating immature TLSs prevail in patients with CESC who succumbed to the disease and seem to affect tumor-specific immune responses.
- Keywords
- Cervical Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer, Myeloid-derived suppressor cell - MDSC, T regulatory cell - Treg,
- MeSH
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck immunology MeSH
- Tertiary Lymphoid Structures * immunology pathology MeSH
- Papillomavirus Infections * complications immunology MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells * immunology metabolism MeSH
- Uterine Cervical Neoplasms * immunology pathology mortality MeSH
- Prognosis MeSH
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory * immunology metabolism MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Check Tag
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Intratumoral tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) have been associated with improved outcome in various cohorts of patients with cancer, reflecting their contribution to the development of tumor-targeting immunity. Here, we demonstrate that high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) contains distinct immune aggregates with varying degrees of organization and maturation. Specifically, mature TLSs (mTLS) as forming only in 16% of HGSOCs with relatively elevated tumor mutational burden (TMB) are associated with an increased intratumoral density of CD8+ effector T (TEFF) cells and TIM3+PD1+, hence poorly immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-sensitive, CD8+ T cells. Conversely, CD8+ T cells from immunologically hot tumors like non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) are enriched in ICI-responsive TCF1+ PD1+ T cells. Spatial B-cell profiling identifies patterns of in situ maturation and differentiation associated with mTLSs. Moreover, B-cell depletion promotes signs of a dysfunctional CD8+ T cell compartment among tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from freshly isolated HGSOC and NSCLC biopsies. Taken together, our data demonstrate that - at odds with NSCLC - HGSOC is associated with a low density of follicular helper T cells and thus develops a limited number of mTLS that might be insufficient to preserve a ICI-sensitive TCF1+PD1+ CD8+ T cell phenotype. These findings point to key quantitative and qualitative differences between mTLSs in ICI-responsive vs ICI-irresponsive neoplasms that may guide the development of alternative immunotherapies for patients with HGSOC.
- MeSH
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes MeSH
- Tertiary Lymphoid Structures * MeSH
- Phenotype MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Tumor Microenvironment MeSH
- Lung Neoplasms * MeSH
- Ovarian Neoplasms * pathology MeSH
- Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung * MeSH
- Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
The profile of the antitumor immune response is an important factor determining patient clinical outcome. However, the influence of the tissue contexture on the composition of the tumor microenvironments of virally induced tumors is not clearly understood. Therefore, we analyzed the immune landscape of two HPV-associated malignancies: oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) and squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix (CESC). We employed multiplex immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence to evaluate the density and spatial distribution of immune cells in retrospective cohorts of OPSCC and CESC patients. This approach was complemented by transcriptomic analysis of purified primary tumor cells and in silico analysis of publicly available RNA sequencing data. Transcriptomic analysis showed similar immune profiles in OPSCC and CESC samples. Interestingly, immunostaining of OPSCC tissues revealed high densities of immune cells in both tumor stroma and tumor epithelium, whereas CESC samples were mainly characterized by the lack of immune cells in the tumor epithelium. However, in contrast to other immune cell populations, polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs) were abundant in both segments of CESC samples and CESC-derived tumor cells expressed markedly higher levels of the PMN-MDSC chemoattractants CXCL1, CXCL5, and CXCL6 than OPSCC tumor cells. Taken together, despite their having the same etiologic agent, the immune infiltration pattern significantly differs between OPSCC and CESC, with a noticeable shift toward prominent MDSC infiltration in the latter. Our data thus present a rationale for a diverse approach to targeted therapy in patients with HPV-associated tumors of different tissue origins.
- Keywords
- Cervical cancer, HNSCC, MDSC, Tumor microenvironment,
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are the most potent type I interferon-producing cells and play an important role in antiviral immunity. Tumor-infiltrating pDCs were shown to be predominantly pro-tumorigenic, with reduced ability to produce interferon alpha (IFNα) and confirmed capacity to prime regulatory T cells (Tregs) by the ICOS/ICOS-L pathway. Because a significant number of HNSCCs are induced by human papillomaviruses and show markedly different immune profiles than non-virally induced tumors, we compared the phenotype and functional capacity of HNSCC-infiltrating pDCs to the HPV status of the tumor. We observed a reduced capacity of pDCs to produce IFNα upon toll-like receptor activation in HPV-negative samples and a rather uncompromised functionality in HPV-associated tumors. Additionally, supernatants from non-virally induced but not HPV-associated tumor cell suspensions significantly inhibited IFNα production by peripheral blood-derived pDCs. We identified IL-10 and TNFα as the soluble pDC-suppressive factors with the highest variability between HPV-negative and HPV-positive tumor-derived supernatants. Additionally, we observed a positive correlation of tumor-infiltrating pDCs with Tregs in HPV-negative samples but not in virally induced tumors. Overall, our study indicates that the immunosuppressive cytokine milieu rich in IL-10 and TNFα in HPV-negative but not in HPV-positive HNSCC significantly affects the functional capacity of tumor-infiltrating pDCs, and such dysfunctional pDCs may further support the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment by promoting the expansion of Tregs in the tumor tissue.
- Keywords
- Head and neck cancer, Human papillomavirus, Interferon alpha, Plasmacytoid dendritic cells,
- MeSH
- Biomarkers MeSH
- Cytokines metabolism MeSH
- Dendritic Cells immunology metabolism pathology MeSH
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck etiology metabolism pathology MeSH
- Gene Expression MeSH
- Papillomavirus Infections complications virology MeSH
- Interferon-alpha immunology metabolism MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Disease Susceptibility MeSH
- Tumor Microenvironment * immunology MeSH
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory immunology metabolism MeSH
- Case-Control Studies MeSH
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets immunology metabolism MeSH
- Cell Transformation, Viral MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Biomarkers MeSH
- Cytokines MeSH
- Interferon-alpha MeSH
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a highly heterogeneous disease that affects more than 800,000 patients worldwide each year. The variability of HNSCC is associated with differences in the carcinogenesis processes that are caused by two major etiological agents, namely, alcohol/tobacco, and human papillomavirus (HPV). Compared to non-virally induced carcinomas, the oropharyngeal tumors associated with HPV infection show markedly better clinical outcomes and are characterized by an immunologically "hot" landscape with high levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. However, the standard of care remains the same for both HPV-positive and HPV-negative HNSCC. Surprisingly, treatment de-escalation trials have not shown any clinical benefit in patients with HPV-positive tumors to date, most likely due to insufficient patient stratification. The in-depth analysis of the immune response, which places an emphasis on tumor-infiltrating immune cells, is a widely accepted prognostic tool that might significantly improve both the stratification of HNSCC patients in de-escalation trials and the development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches.
