CCR8-targeted specific depletion of clonally expanded Treg cells in tumor tissues evokes potent tumor immunity with long-lasting memory.

Foxp3-expressing CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are abundant in tumor tissues. Here, hypothesizing that tumor Tregs would clonally expand after they are activated by tumor-associated antigens to suppress antitumor immune responses, we performed single-cell analysis on tumor Tregs to characterize them by T cell receptor clonotype and gene-expression profiles. We found that multiclonal Tregs present in tumor tissues predominantly expressed the chemokine receptor CCR8. In mice and humans, CCR8+ Tregs constituted 30 to 80% of tumor Tregs in various cancers and less than 10% of Tregs in other tissues, whereas most tumor-infiltrating conventional T cells (Tconvs) were CCR8- CCR8+ tumor Tregs were highly differentiated and functionally stable. Administration of cell-depleting anti-CCR8 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) indeed selectively eliminated multiclonal tumor Tregs, leading to cure of established tumors in mice. The treatment resulted in the expansion of CD8+ effector Tconvs, including tumor antigen-specific ones, that were more activated and less exhausted than those induced by PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade. Anti-CCR8 mAb treatment also evoked strong secondary immune responses against the same tumor cell line inoculated several months after tumor eradication, indicating that elimination of tumor-reactive multiclonal Tregs was sufficient to induce memory-type tumor-specific effector Tconvs. Despite induction of such potent tumor immunity, anti-CCR8 mAb treatment elicited minimal autoimmunity in mice, contrasting with systemic Treg depletion, which eradicated tumors but induced severe autoimmune disease. Thus, specific removal of clonally expanding Tregs in tumor tissues for a limited period by cell-depleting anti-CCR8 mAb treatment can generate potent tumor immunity with long-lasting memory and without deleterious autoimmunity.

In situ analysis of CCR8+ regulatory T cells in lung cancer: suppression of GzmB+ CD8+ T cells and prognostic marker implications.

BACKGROUND: CCR8-expressing regulatory T cells (Tregs) are selectively localized within tumors and have gained attention as potent suppressors of anti-tumor immunity. This study focused on CCR8+ Tregs and their interaction with CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment of human lung cancer. We evaluated their spatial distribution impact on CD8+ T cell effector function, specifically granzyme B (GzmB) expression, and clinical outcomes. METHODS: A total of 81 patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) who underwent radical surgical resection without preoperative treatment were enrolled. Histological analyses were performed, utilizing an automated image analysis system for double-stained immunohistochemistry assays of CCR8/Foxp3 and GzmB/CD8. We investigated the association of CCR8+ Tregs and GzmB+ CD8+ T cells in tumor tissues and further evaluated the prognostic impact of their distribution profiles. RESULTS: Histological evaluation using the region of interest (ROI) protocol showed that GzmB expression levels in CD8+ T cells were decreased in areas with high infiltration of CCR8+ Tregs, suggesting a suppressive effect of CCR8+ Tregs on T cell cytotoxicity in the local tumor microenvironment. Analysis of the association with clinical outcomes showed that patients with more CCR8+ Tregs and lower GzmB expression, represented by a low GzmB/CCR8 ratio, had worse progression-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that local CCR8+ Treg accumulation is associated with reduced CD8+ T cell cytotoxic activity and poor prognosis in LSCC patients, highlighting the biological role and clinical significance of CCR8+ Tregs in the tumor microenvironment. The GzmB/CCR8 ratio may be a useful prognostic factor for future clinical applications in LSCC.

The tissue-resident marker CD103 on peripheral blood T cells predicts responses to anti-PD-1 therapy in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment. Since clinical benefits are limited to a subset of patients, we aimed to identify peripheral blood biomarkers that predict the efficacy of the anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody (nivolumab) in patients with gastric cancer. METHODS: We collected peripheral blood samples from gastric cancer patients (n = 29) before and after treatment with nivolumab and investigated the relationship between the frequency of surface or intracellular markers among nivolumab-binding PD-1+CD8+ T cells and treatment responses using multicolor flow cytometry. The tumors, lymph nodes, and peripheral blood of gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy following nivolumab treatment were collected, and nivolumab-binding PD-1+CD8+ T cells in these tissue samples were characterized. RESULTS: Patients with a high frequency of CD103 among PD-1+CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood 2 weeks after the start of treatment had significantly better progression-free survival than the low group (P = 0.032). This CD103+PD-1+CD8+ T cell population mainly consisted of central memory T cells, showing the high expression of Ki-67 and few cytotoxic granules. In contrast, effector memory T cells were more frequently observed among CD103+PD-1+CD8+ T cells in tumors, which implied a change in the differentiated status of central memory T cells in lymph nodes and peripheral blood to effector memory T cells in tumors during the treatment with ICIs. CONCLUSIONS: A high frequency of CD103 among PD-1+CD8+ T cells 2 weeks after nivolumab treatment in patients with advanced gastric cancer may be a useful biomarker for predicting the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy.

Tetracyclines Enhance Anti-tumor T-Cell Responses Induced by a Bispecific T-Cell Engager.

Cancer immunotherapies are powerful therapeutic options for cancer patients. To enhance the therapeutic effects of cancer immunotherapies, we plan to develop novel immunostimulatory drugs for use in combination with cancer immunotherapy. In the present study, we focused on tetracyclines, the effects of which are controversial for immunotherapy. We examined the effects of tetracyclines on human T cells in the peripheral blood of healthy donors and the tumor tissues of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. By using bispecific T-cell engager technology to assess the cytotoxicity of peripheral T cells against tumor cells, we showed that tetracyclines (minocycline, tetracycline, doxycycline, meclocycline, chlortetracycline, and demeclocycline) enhanced T-cell cytotoxicity through granzyme B expression and CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell proliferation. In analyses of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and lung tumor-infiltrated cells of NSCLC patients, we found that demeclocycline enhanced T-cell cytotoxicity not only in PBMCs, but also in lung tumor tissues. These results support the further application of tetracyclines to combination cancer immunotherapy.

The impact of ICOS+ regulatory T cells and Helicobacter pylori infection on the prognosis of patients with gastric and colorectal cancer: potential prognostic benefit of pre-operative eradication therapy.

It remains unclear whether Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a major cause of gastric cancer (GC), is involved in other intestinal cancers. In our previous study, ICOS+ Foxp3+ CD4+ T cells (ICOS+ Tregs) in GC tumors were identified as effector Tregs and associated with H. pylori. In the present study, the impact of ICOS+ Tregs on not only GC, but also colorectal cancer (CRC) and their prognosis was investigated in association with H. pylori. Tissue-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) purified from fresh tumor and sera were obtained from GC and CRC patients prospectively. % ICOS+ Tregs were analyzed by flow cytometry and their production of anti-H. pylori antibody (Hp-Ab) in sera was detected by ELISA. % ICOS+ Tregs were higher in GC and CRC patients with Hp-Ab than in those without Hp-Ab, including eradicated patients. ICOS+ Tregs purified had higher potential to produce IL-10 than ICOS- Tregs. For prognostic analysis, immunohistochemical analysis and ELISA were performed using archival fixed specimens and frozen sera, respectively, obtained from GC and CRC patients. Overall survival was longer in patients with low % ICOS+ Tregs than in those with high % ICOS+ Tregs, and patients with Hp-Ab showed shorter recurrence-free survival than those without Hp-Ab. These results suggested that ICOS+ Tregs in GC and CRC patients were closely associated with H. pylori in gastric epithelium and their prognosis, and that pre-operative H. pylori eradication has potential as a novel immunotherapy for GC and CRC patients.

Clinical importance of the expression of CD4+CD8+ T cells in renal cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: CD4+CD8+ T cells are expressed in some cancer patients including those with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, no reports have mentioned the clinical importance of this expression. We evaluated the expression of CD4+CD8+ T cells in patients with various cancer types to clarify clinical characteristics and prognostic importance significantly correlating with these T cells. METHODS: Expression of CD4+CD8+ T cells was evaluated using flowcytometry in tissue-infiltrating lymphocytes extracted from 260 cancer tissues including 104 RCC samples. RNA sequencing and characterization and regression (Citrus) was used to determine characteristics. The prognostic importance of CD4+CD8+ T cells was evaluated by Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Among eight cancer types, expression of CD4+CD8+ T cells was significantly highest in RCC patients. According to the expression of CD4+CD8+ T cells in adjacent normal tissue-infiltrating lymphocytes, 24 patients (23.1%) were defined as being positive for CD4+CD8+ with an expression higher than 9.29% in RCC patients. Citrus showed CD8+PD-1+TIM-3+CD103- T cells to be a specific subpopulation of CD4+CD8+ T cells. RNA sequencing revealed that CD4+CD8+ T cells had significantly lower diversity than the other T cells and shared most T-cell receptor clones with CD8+ not CD4+ T cells. Expression of CD4+CD8+ T cells was identified as an independent predictor of overall survival (hazard ratio: 0.11, 95% confidence interval: 0.01-0.86, P = 0.035) in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The expression of CD4+CD8+ T cells was significantly up-regulated in RCC patients and correlated significantly with prognostic importance in surgically treated RCC patients.

PD-1+ Tim3+ tumor-infiltrating CD8 T cells sustain the potential for IFN-γ production, but lose cytotoxic activity in ovarian cancer.

Persistent exposure to tumor antigens results in exhausted tumor-infiltrating T cells (TILs) that express the immune checkpoint molecules, PD-1 and Tim3, and lack anti-tumor immunity. To examine the exhausted status of TILs in ovarian cancer, the potential for cytokine production, proliferation and cytotoxicity by purified PD-1+ Tim3+ CD8 TILs was assessed. The production of IFN-γ and TNF-α by PD-1+ Tim3+ CD8 TILs remained the same in an intracellular cytokine staining assay and was higher in a cytokine catch assay than that by PD-1- Tim3- and PD-1+ Tim3- CD8 TILs. %Ki67+ was higher in PD-1+ Tim3+ CD8 TILs than in PD-1- Tim3- CD8 TILs. However, patients with high PD-1+ Tim3+ CD8 TILs had a poor prognosis. The potential for cytotoxicity was then examined. %Perforin+ and %granzyme B+ were lower in PD-1+ Tim3+ CD8 TILs than in PD-1- Tim3- and PD-1+ Tim3- CD8 TILs. To observe the potential for direct cytotoxicity by T cells, a target cell line expressing membrane-bound anti-CD3scFv was newly established and a cytotoxic assay targeting these cells was performed. The cytotoxicity of PD-1+ Tim3+ CD8 TILs was significantly lower than that of PD-1- Tim3- and PD-1+ Tim3- CD8 TILs. Even though PD-1+ Tim3+ CD8 TILs in ovarian cancer showed a sustained potential for cytokine production and proliferation, cytotoxicity was markedly impaired, which may contribute to the poor prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer. Among the impaired functions of exhausted TILs, cytotoxicity may be an essential target for cancer immunotherapy.

Endogenous CXCL9 affects prognosis by regulating tumor-infiltrating natural killer cells in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

CXCL9, an IFN-γ inducible chemokine, has been reported to play versatile roles in tumor-host interrelationships. However, little is known about its role in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). Here, we aimed to elucidate the prognostic and biological implications of CXCL9 in iCCA. Endogenous CXCL9 expression and the number of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes were immunohistochemically assessed in resection specimens. These data were validated in mice treated by silencing CXCL9 with short hairpin RNA. In addition, the induction of endogenous CXCL9 and the effects of CXCL9 on tumor biological behaviors were evaluated in human cholangiocarcinoma cell lines. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that high CXCL9 expression was closely correlated with prolonged postoperative survival and a large number of tumor-infiltrating natural killer (NK) cells. In fact, due to the trafficking of total and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand-expressing NK cells into tumors, CXCL9-sufficient cells were less tumorigenic in the liver than CXCL9-deficient cells in mice. Although CXCL9 involvement in tumor growth and invasion abilities differed across cell lines, it did not exacerbate these abilities in CXCL9-expressing cell lines. We showed that CXCL9 was useful as a prognostic marker. Our findings also suggested that CXCL9 upregulation might offer a therapeutic strategy for treating CXCL9-expressing iCCA by augmenting anti-tumor immune surveillance.

Docetaxel Upregulates HMGB1 Levels in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) exert beneficial effects in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, ICIs are only advantageous for a limited population of NSCLC patients. Therefore to enhance their effects, combination therapies with ICIs have been developed. To identify preferable chemotherapy to combine with ICIs against lung cancer, we examined immunological effects of docetaxel compared with epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI). We found no difference in peripheral lymphocyte counts and ratio of their subpopulations in lung cancer patients before and after both treatments. On the other hand, plasma levels of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) protein, showed significant increase after docetaxel treatment. Furthermore, we investigated effects of HMGB1 on tumor-infiltrating immune cells obtained from surgically resected tumor tissue from NSCLC patients. When the tumor infiltrating cells were stimulated with HMGB1, CD11c+ cells showed increased expression of activation markers. These findings imply that docetaxel could be involved in anti-tumor immunity via HMGB1. Therefore docetaxel might be a candidate for combination treatment with ICIs.

Peri-operative monocyte count is a marker of poor prognosis in gastric cancer: increased monocytes are a characteristic of myeloid-derived suppressor cells.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the most common malignant tumor in digestive organs, and the prognosis of GC patients who have undergone surgery remains poor because of frequent recurrence. Therefore, the identification of new markers to predict the outcome of these patients is needed. Monocyte count is a negative prognostic factor associated with inflammation. We investigated the relationship between peripheral monocytes in the peri-operative period and prognosis in GC patients. A high pre-operative monocyte count was identified as a prognostic factor in a retrospective analysis of 278 stage II and III GC patients who underwent curative gastrectomy. In contrast, an increased post-operative monocyte count compared to the pre-operative monocyte count was a marker of poor prognosis, particularly for early relapse. In a prospective analysis of 75 GC patients, a subset of the increased post-operative monocytes was similar to CD14+ HLA-DR- CD11b+ CD33+ cells by flow cytometry, and these monocytes produced IDO and arginase and suppressed T cell functions; therefore, we classified these cells as monocytic myeloid-derived suppressive cells (M-MDSCs). Peri-operative neutrophils and C-reactive protein (CRP), which are also related to inflammation, did not affect the prognosis of GC patients, and a neutrophil immunosuppressive function was not observed. These results suggest that peripheral monocytes in the peri-operative period in GC patients are a useful marker for the prognosis of GC patients, and a subset of increased post-operative monocytes may be characterized as M-MDSCs.

Preclinical antitumor activity of S-222611, an oral reversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) are validated molecular targets in cancer therapy. Dual blockade has been explored and one such agent, lapatinib, is in clinical practice but with modest activity. Through chemical screening, we discovered a novel EGFR and HER2 inhibitor, S-222611, that selectively inhibited both kinases with IC50 s below 10 nmol/L. S-222611 also inhibited intracellular kinase activity and the growth of EGFR-expressing and HER2-expressing cancer cells. In addition, S-222611 showed potent antitumor activity over lapatinib in a variety of xenograft models. In evaluations with two patient-oriented models, the intrafemoral implantation model and the intracranial implantation model, S-222611 exhibited excellent activity and could be effective against bone and brain metastasis. Compared to neratinib and afatinib, irreversible EGFR/HER2 inhibitors, S-222611 showed equivalent or slightly weaker antitumor activity but a safer profile. These results indicated that S-222611 is a potent EGFR and HER2 inhibitor with substantially better antitumor activity than lapatinib at clinically relevant doses. Considering the safer profile than for irreversible inhibitors, S-222611 could be an important option in future cancer therapy.

Tetracyclines enhance antitumor T-cell immunity via the Zap70 signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Cancer immunotherapy including immune checkpoint inhibitors is only effective for a limited population of patients with cancer. Therefore, the development of novel cancer immunotherapy is anticipated. In preliminary studies, we demonstrated that tetracyclines enhanced T-cell responses. Therefore, we herein investigated the efficacy of tetracyclines on antitumor T-cell responses by human peripheral T cells, murine models, and the lung tumor tissues of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with a focus on signaling pathways in T cells. METHODS: The cytotoxicity of peripheral and lung tumor-infiltrated human T cells against tumor cells was assessed by using bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) technology (BiTE-assay system). The effects of tetracyclines on T cells in the peripheral blood of healthy donors and the tumor tissues of patients with NSCLC were examined using the BiTE-assay system in comparison with anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) antibody, nivolumab. T-cell signaling molecules were analyzed by flow cytometry, ELISA, and qRT-PCR. To investigate the in vivo antitumor effects of tetracyclines, tetracyclines were administered orally to BALB/c mice engrafted with murine tumor cell lines, either in the presence or absence of anti-mouse CD8 inhibitors. RESULTS: The results obtained revealed that tetracyclines enhanced antitumor T-cell cytotoxicity with the upregulation of granzyme B and increased secretion of interferon-γ in human peripheral T cells and the lung tumor tissues of patients with NSCLC. The analysis of T-cell signaling showed that CD69 in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was upregulated by minocycline. Downstream of T-cell receptor signaling, Zap70 phosphorylation and Nur77 were also upregulated by minocycline in the early phase after T-cell activation. These changes were not observed in T cells treated with anti-PD-1 antibodies under the same conditions. The administration of tetracyclines exhibited antitumor efficacy with the upregulation of CD69 and increases in tumor antigen-specific T cells in murine tumor models. These changes were canceled by the administration of anti-mouse CD8 inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, tetracyclines enhanced antitumor T-cell immunity via Zap70 signaling. These results will contribute to the development of novel cancer immunotherapy.

S-531011, a Novel Anti-Human CCR8 Antibody, Induces Potent Antitumor Responses through Depletion of Tumor-Infiltrating CCR8-Expressing Regulatory T Cells.

Although regulatory T cells (Treg) are inhibitory immune cells that are essential for maintaining immune homeostasis, Tregs that infiltrate tumor tissue promote tumor growth by suppressing antitumor immunity. Selective reduction of tumor-infiltrating Tregs is, therefore, expected to activate antitumor immunity without affecting immune homeostasis. We previously reported that selective Treg depletion targeted by a C-C motif chemokine receptor 8 (CCR8) resulted in induction of strong antitumor immunity without any obvious autoimmunity in mouse models. Thus, herein, we developed a novel humanized anti-CCR8 monoclonal antibody, S-531011, aimed as a cancer immunotherapy strategy for patients with cancer. S-531011 exclusively recognized human CCR8 among all chemokine receptors and showed potent antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity activity toward CCR8+ cells and neutralization activity against CCR8-mediated signaling. We observed that S-531011 reduced tumor-infiltrating CCR8+ Tregs and induced potent antitumor activity in a tumor-bearing human-CCR8 knock-in mouse model. Moreover, combination therapy with S-531011 and anti-mouse programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) antibody strongly suppressed tumor growth compared with anti-PD-1 antibody alone with no observable adverse effects. S-531011 also depleted human tumor-infiltrating Tregs, but not Tregs derived from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. These results suggest that S-531011 is a promising drug for inducing antitumor immunity without severe side effects in the clinical setting.

T cell immunity in interstitial lung disease with non-small cell lung cancer patients.

OBJECTIVES: Limited treatment options are available for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). The rationale for immunotherapy and its adverse events for NSCLC with ILD remains unclear. In this study, we examined T cell profiles and functions in the lung tissues of NSCLC patients with or without ILD to provide evidence for the potential mechanism of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-related pneumonitis in NSCLC patients with ILD. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We investigated T cell immunity in the lung tissues of NSCLC patients with ILD to support the application of immunotherapy for these patients. We analyzed T cell profiles and functions in surgically resected lung tissues from NSCLC patients with and without ILD. The T cell profiles of infiltrating cells in lung tissues were analyzed by flow cytometry. T cell functions were measured based on cytokine production by T cells stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and ionomycin. RESULTS: The percentages of CD4+ T cells expressing immune checkpoint molecules (Tim-3, ICOS, and 4-1BB), CD103+CD8+ T cells, and regulatory T (Treg) cells were higher in NSCLC patients with than in those without ILD. A functional analysis of T cells in lung tissues indicated that CD103+CD8+ T cells positively correlated with IFNγ production, whereas Treg cells negatively correlated with IFNγ and TNFα production. Cytokine production by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells did not significantly differ between NSCLC patients with and without ILD, except for TNFα production by CD4+ T cells being lower in the former than in the latter. CONCLUSION: In NSCLC patients with ILD stable for surgery, T cells were active participants and balanced in part by Treg cells in lung tissues, suggesting the potential development of ICI-related pneumonitis in NSCLC patients with ILD.

Tumor-infiltrating ICOS+ Effector Regulatory T-Cells in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma as a Promising Biomarker for Prognosis and 'Hot' Tumor.

BACKGROUND: Tumor immunity in the tumor microenvironment is activated in patients with feasible clinical responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors. The immunological profile of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) obtained from patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) was examined in relation to their prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Surface antigens, including immune checkpoint molecules, on TILs from 31 patients with primary OSCC were analyzed by flow cytometry. The activation status of TILs was examined through a heatmap analysis and unsupervised clustering classified patients into groups with activated or inactivated TILs. A supervised machine-learning algorithm for single-cell analyses in relation to prognosis was run using the Cluster Identification, Characterization, and Regression (CITRUS) program. RESULTS: None of surface antigens were related to prognosis. The CITRUS program revealed a relationship between CD45RA-CD4+ CD25high inducible T-cell co-stimulator (ICOS)+ TILs and recurrence, and also identified a similar fraction significantly specific to the group with activated TILs. The disease-free survival rate for patients with ≥95% ICOS+ TILs was significantly lower than that for those with <95% ICOS+ TILs. Furthermore, a review of clinicopathological factors related to prognosis identified the percentage of ICOS+ TILs to be an independent prognostic factor for patients with OSCC. CONCLUSION: CD25highICOS+ regulatory T-cells in TILs have potential as a biomarker for predicting recurrence after surgical treatment and clinical responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with OSCC.

The impact of CCR8+ regulatory T cells on cytotoxic T cell function in human lung cancer.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) suppress the host immune response and maintain immune homeostasis. Tregs also promote cancer progression and are involved in resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitor treatments. Recent studies identified selective CCR8 expression on tumor-infiltrating Tregs; CCR8+ Tregs have been indicated as a possible new target of cancer immunotherapy. Here, we investigated the features of CCR8+ Tregs in lung cancer patients. CCR8+ Tregs were highly activated and infiltration of CCR8+ Tregs in tumors was associated with poor prognosis in lung cancer patients. We also investigated their immune suppressive function, especially the influence on cytotoxic T lymphocyte cell function. The Cancer Genome Atlas analysis revealed that CD8 T cell activities were suppressed in high CCR8-expressing tumors. Additionally, depletion of CCR8+ cells enhanced CD8 T cell function in an ex vivo culture of lung tumor-infiltrating cells. Moreover, CCR8+ Tregs, but not CCR8- Tregs, induced from human PBMCs markedly suppressed CD8 T cell cytotoxicity. Finally, we demonstrated the therapeutic effect of targeting CCR8 in a murine model of lung cancer. These findings reveal the significance of CCR8+ Tregs for immunosuppression in lung cancer, especially via cytotoxic T lymphocyte cell suppression, and suggest the potential value of CCR8-targeted therapy for cancer treatment.

Immunotherapeutic potential of CD4 and CD8 single-positive T cells in thymic epithelial tumors.

Indications for current immune checkpoint inhibitors are expanding and now include thymic epithelial tumors (TETs). Although clinical trials on immune checkpoint inhibitors for TETs are ongoing, a rationale has not yet been established for immunotherapy for TETs. Therefore, we herein performed phenotypic and functional analyses of T cells in surgically resected TET tissues with a focus on the anti-tumor properties of T cells to TETs as a step towards establishing a rationale for immunotherapy for TETs. We examined T-cell profiles in surgically resected TET tissues, particularly CD4 and CD8 single-positive T cells, using flow cytometry. In the functional analysis of T cells in TETs, we investigated not only cytokine production by T cells, but also their cytotoxicity using bispecific T-cell engager technology. The cluster analysis of T-cell profiles based on flow cytometric data revealed that type B3 thymoma and thymic carcinoma (B3/C) belonged to the hot cluster characterized by a high proportion of Tim-3+ and CD103+ in CD4 and CD8 single-positive T cells. Enhancements in cytokine production and the cytotoxicity of T cells by the anti-PD-1 antibody were significantly greater in B3/C. These results indicate the potential of immunotherapy for patients with B3/C.

Tumour grade significantly correlates with total dysfunction of tumour tissue-infiltrating lymphocytes in renal cell carcinoma.

It is important to evaluate the clinical importance of both CD8 T cells and CD4 T cells expression simultaneously because they have crucial networks in tumour targeting immune responses. In 97 RCC patients, RNA sequencing and gene set enrichment analysis of both CD8 and CD4 T cells based on the expression levels of PD-1 and TIM-3 implied that the populations of PD-1+TIM-3+ CD8 T cells and PD-1lowTIM-3 + CD4 T cells were characterized as exhausted CD8 T cells and regulatory CD4 T cells, respectively. These populations of CD4 and CD8 T cells were significantly upregulated in the patients with RCC of higher WHO/ISUP grade (grades 3, 4) (P < 0.001). Moreover, the cytokine productivities of each population in both CD4 and CD8 T cells of the higher-grade patients were significantly lower than those of the lower-grade patients (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed the prognosis of patients with metastatic RCC of higher WHO/ISUP grade treated by nivolumab to be significantly worse than that of patients with lower grade (P = 0.026). This study showed that tumour grade significantly correlated with dysfunction of both CD4+ and CD8+ TILs and the efficacy of nivolumab treatment.

Distribution analysis of epertinib in brain metastasis of HER2-positive breast cancer by imaging mass spectrometry and prospect for antitumor activity.

Epertinib (S-222611) is a potent, reversible, and selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), human EGFR2 (HER2), and human EGFR4. We developed experimental brain metastasis models by intraventricular injection (intraventricular injection mouse model; IVM) of HER2-positive breast cancer (MDA-MB-361-luc-BR2/BR3) or T790M-EGFR-positive lung cancer (NCI-H1975-luc) cells. After a single oral administration, epertinib and lapatinib concentrations in brain metastatic regions were analyzed by quantitative imaging mass spectrometry. In the NCI-H1975 lung cancer IVM, the concentration of epertinib in brain metastasis was comparable to that of lapatinib. However, in the MDA-MB-361 breast cancer IVM, the concentration of epertinib in brain metastasis was >10 times higher than that of lapatinib. Furthermore, the epertinib tumor-to-normal brain ratio was ~4 times higher than that of lapatinib. Blood-tumor barrier (BTB) permeability was assessed in each brain metastatic region. In the lung cancer model, fluorescently labeled dextran was more highly detected in brain metastatic regions than in brain parenchyma. However, in breast cancer models, dextran fluorescence intensity in brain metastatic regions and brain parenchyma were comparable, suggesting that the BTB remained largely intact. Epertinib would be promised as a therapeutic agent for HER2-positive breast cancer with brain metastasis.

Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor is a promising target for ovarian cancer therapy.

Ovarian cancer is the most frequent cause of cancer death among all gynecologic cancers. We demonstrate here that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)-induced ectodomain shedding of heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is a critical to tumor formation in ovarian cancer. We found that among the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family of growth factors, HB-EGF gene expression in cancerous tissues and HB-EGF protein levels in patients' ascites fluid were significantly elevated. The human ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3 and RMG-1 form tumors in nude mice. Tumor formation of these cells was enhanced by exogenous expression of pro-HB-EGF and completely blocked by pro-HB-EGF gene RNA interference or by CRM197, a specific HB-EGF inhibitor. Transfection with mutant forms of HB-EGF indicated that the release of soluble HB-EGF is essential for tumor formation. LPA, which is constitutively produced by ovarian cancer cells, induced HB-EGF ectodomain shedding in SKOV3 and RMG-1 cells, resulting in the transactivation of EGFR and the downstream kinase extracellular signal-regulated kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase. LPA-induced transactivation was abrogated by HB-EGF gene RNA interference or by CRM197. Introduction of lipid phosphate phosphohydrolase, which hydrolyzes LPA, decreased the constitutive shedding of HB-EGF, EGFR transactivation, and the tumorigenic potential of SKOV3 and RMG-1 cells. These results indicate that HB-EGF is the primary member of the EGFR family of growth factors expressed in ovarian cancer and that LPA-induced ectodomain shedding of this growth factor is a critical step in tumor formation, making HB-EGF a novel therapeutic target for ovarian cancer.