Reduced CTL motility and activity in avascular tumor areas.

Patchy infiltration of tumors by cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) predicts poorer prognosis for cancer patients. The factors limiting intratumoral CTL dissemination, though, are poorly understood. To study CTL dissemination in tumors, we histologically examined human melanoma samples and used mice to image B16-OVA tumors infiltrated by OT-I CTLs using intravital two-photon microscopy. In patients, most CTLs concentrated around peripheral blood vessels, especially in poorly infiltrated tumors. In mice, OT-I CTLs had to cluster around tumor cells to efficiently kill them in a contact-and perforin-dependent manner and cytotoxicity was strictly antigen-specific. OT-I CTLs as well as non-specific CTLs concentrated around peripheral vessels, and cleared the tumor cells around them. This was also the case when CTLs were injected directly into the tumors. CTLs crawled rapidly only in areas within 50 µm of flowing blood vessels and transient occlusion of vessels immediately, though reversibly, stopped their migration. In vitro, oxygen depletion and blockade of oxidative phosphorylation also reduced CTL motility. Taken together, these results suggest that hypoxia limits CTL migration away from blood vessels, providing immune-privileged niches for tumor cells to survive. Normalizing intratumoral vasculature may thus synergize with tumor immunotherapy.

Allicin and disulfiram enhance platelet integrin alphaIIbbeta3-fibrinogen binding.

INTRODUCTION: Activation of the platelet receptor alphaIIbbeta3 (glycoprotein IIbIIIa) involves a change in the disulfide bonds pattern in the extra-cellular domain of the receptor. The disulfide-bond reducing agent, dithiothreitol (DTT), can increase integrin activity, and point mutations of specific cysteine residues of the integrin can cause its lockage at the high affinity state. The present study is aimed to support the hypothesis that prevention of specific alphaIIbbeta3 intra-molecular disulfide bond formation increases receptor-ligand binding activity. METHODS: Platelet aggregation was induced by collagen or ADP and epinephrine. Integrin alphaIIbbeta3-fibrinogen binding was evaluated on prostaglandins E(1) (PGE(1))-treated washed platelets or baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells expressing human alphaIIbbeta3. Integrin was directly activated by an anti-ligand induced binding site (LIBS) PT25-2 antibody. The effect of sulfhydryl-reactive agents, such as allicin, glutathione, dithiobis nitrobenzoic acid (DTNB) and disulfiram, was tested on alphaIIbbeta3 activity. RESULTS: Allicin (40 microM) completely inhibited washed platelets agonist-induced aggregation. Both allicin and disulfiram (40 microM) inhibited alphaIIbbeta3-fibrinogen binding and P-selectin expression in washed platelets. However, there was an increase in alphaIIbbeta3-fibrinogen binding but not P-selectin expression in PGE(1)-treated washed platelets activated by PT25-2 antibody. At a high concentration (400 microM) both inhibited alphaIIbbeta3-fibrinogen binding. Similarly, in BHK cells expressing alphaIIbbeta3 activated by PT25-2 antibody, allicin at a low concentration increased alphaIIbbeta3 activity. CONCLUSIONS: Allicin and disulfiram inhibit agonist-induced washed platelet activation probably via inhibition of platelet signaling, but enhance PT25-2 antibody-induced alphaIIbbeta3 integrin activity most likely by preventing reformation of disulfide bridges thereby stabilizing the active conformation of the integrin.