[PDF][PDF] PD-1 blockade therapy promotes infiltration of tumor-attacking exhausted T cell clonotypes

J Nagasaki, T Inozume, N Sax, R Ariyasu, M Ishikawa… - Cell reports, 2022 - cell.com
J Nagasaki, T Inozume, N Sax, R Ariyasu, M Ishikawa, K Yamashita, M Kawazu, T Ueno…
Cell reports, 2022cell.com
PD-1 blockade exerts clinical efficacy against various types of cancer by reinvigorating T
cells that directly attack tumor cells (tumor-specific T cells) in the tumor microenvironment
(TME), and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) also comprise nonspecific bystander T cells.
Here, using single-cell sequencing, we show that TILs include skewed T cell clonotypes,
which are characterized by exhaustion (T ex) or nonexhaustion signatures (T non-ex).
Among skewed clonotypes, those in the T ex, but not those in the T non-ex, cluster respond …
Summary
PD-1 blockade exerts clinical efficacy against various types of cancer by reinvigorating T cells that directly attack tumor cells (tumor-specific T cells) in the tumor microenvironment (TME), and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) also comprise nonspecific bystander T cells. Here, using single-cell sequencing, we show that TILs include skewed T cell clonotypes, which are characterized by exhaustion (Tex) or nonexhaustion signatures (Tnon-ex). Among skewed clonotypes, those in the Tex, but not those in the Tnon-ex, cluster respond to autologous tumor cell lines. After PD-1 blockade, non-preexisting tumor-specific clonotypes in the Tex cluster appear in the TME. Tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs) without metastasis harbor a considerable number of such clonotypes, whereas these clonotypes are rarely detected in peripheral blood. We propose that tumor-infiltrating skewed T cell clonotypes with an exhausted phenotype directly attack tumor cells and that PD-1 blockade can promote infiltration of such Tex clonotypes, mainly from TDLNs.
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