Journal
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
Volume 7, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
BMC
DOI: 10.1186/s40425-019-0497-0
Keywords
Tumor microenvironment; Type 1 immunity; HPV; Head and neck cancer; Foxp3
Categories
Funding
- Dutch Cancer Society [2014-6696, 2016-10726]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) may comprise different subsets allowing them to efficiently suppress different types of effector T cells. In this study, we show that high numbers of both conventional and Tbet co-expressing Foxp3(hi) Tregs accumulate in human papilloma virus (HPV)-driven oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). The infiltration of Tbet+ Foxp3+ Tregs was strongly correlated with a concomitant tumor-specific and conventional type 1-oriented intratumoral T cell infiltrate. Both conventional CD4+CD25+CD127-Foxp3(hi) Tregs and their Tbet(hi) counterparts exhibited an activated phenotype, co-expressed high levels of CTLA4 and Helios and exhibited a maximally demethylated Foxp3 gene locus TSDR, indicating their full capacity to impede a type 1 effector T cell response. Interestingly, while the prognostic value of conventional Tregs was neutral, a high intratumoral frequency of Tbet+ Tregs was associated with prolonged disease-specific survival, most likely because their presence reflected high numbers of effector T cells. The presence of these Tbet+ Tregs may in part explain why a dense type 1-oriented immune infiltrate in OPSCC is not enough to fully control tumor growth.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available