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Host-specific differences in top-expanded TCR clonotypes correlate with divergent outcomes of anti-PD-L1 treatment in responders versus non-responders

Authors :
Jessy John
Samantha M. Y. Chen
Rachel A. Woolaver
Huaibin Ge
Monika Vashisht
Ziyu Huang
Zhangguo Chen
Jing H. Wang
Source :
Frontiers in Immunology, Vol 14 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
Frontiers Media S.A., 2023.

Abstract

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment; however, the responses to ICI treatment are highly variable in different individuals and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we employed a mouse squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) model where tumor-bearing recipients diverged into responders (R) versus non-responders (NR) upon anti-PD-L1 treatment. We performed in-depth TCRβ sequencing with immunoSEQ platform to delineate the differences in CD8 tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). We found that R and NR CD8 TILs both exhibited evidence of clonal expansion, suggesting activation regardless of response status. We detected no differences in clonal expansion or clonal diversity indexes between R vs. NR. However, the top expanded (>1%) TCRβ clonotypes appeared to be mutually exclusive between R and NR CD8 TILs, showing a preferential expansion of distinct TCRβ clonotypes in response to the same SCC tumor in R vs. NR. Notably, the mutual exclusivity of TCR clonotypes in R vs. NR was only observed when top TCRβ clonotypes were counted, because such top-expanded clonotypes are present in the opposite outcome group at a much lower frequency. Many TCRβ sequences were detected in only one recipient at a high frequency, implicating highly individualized anti-tumor immune responses. We conclude that differences in the clonal frequency of top TCR clonotypes between R and NR CD8 TILs may be one of the factors underlying differential anti-PD-L1 responses. This notion may offer a novel explanation for variable ICI responses in different individuals, which may substantially impact the development of new strategies for personalized cancer immunotherapy.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
16643224
Volume :
14
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Frontiers in Immunology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.37efbe2fd27490894a7e6687b1d22c5
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1100520