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Hypoxia-inducible factor activity promotes antitumor effector function and tissue residency by CD8+ T cells
Ilkka Liikanen, … , Deborah A. Witherden, Ananda W. Goldrath
Ilkka Liikanen, … , Deborah A. Witherden, Ananda W. Goldrath
Published April 1, 2021
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2021;131(7):e143729. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI143729.
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Research Article Immunology

Hypoxia-inducible factor activity promotes antitumor effector function and tissue residency by CD8+ T cells

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Abstract

Adoptive T cell therapies (ACTs) hold great promise in cancer treatment, but low overall response rates in patients with solid tumors underscore remaining challenges in realizing the potential of this cellular immunotherapy approach. Promoting CD8+ T cell adaptation to tissue residency represents an underutilized but promising strategy to improve tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) function. Here, we report that deletion of the HIF negative regulator von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) in CD8+ T cells induced HIF-1α/HIF-2α–dependent differentiation of tissue-resident memory–like (Trm-like) TILs in mouse models of malignancy. VHL-deficient TILs accumulated in tumors and exhibited a core Trm signature despite an exhaustion-associated phenotype, which led to retained polyfunctionality and response to αPD-1 immunotherapy, resulting in tumor eradication and protective tissue-resident memory. VHL deficiency similarly facilitated enhanced accumulation of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells with a Trm-like phenotype in tumors. Thus, HIF activity in CD8+ TILs promotes accumulation and antitumor activity, providing a new strategy to enhance the efficacy of ACTs.

Authors

Ilkka Liikanen, Colette Lauhan, Sara Quon, Kyla Omilusik, Anthony T. Phan, Laura Barceló Bartrolí, Amir Ferry, John Goulding, Joyce Chen, James P. Scott-Browne, Jason T. Yustein, Nicole E. Scharping, Deborah A. Witherden, Ananda W. Goldrath

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Figure 7

VHL-deficient memory T cells confer superior protection from tumor rechallenge.

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VHL-deficient memory T cells confer superior protection from tumor recha...
(A) Tumor-free survival after rechallenge with B16.gp33 (middle) or MC38.gp33 (right) in mice with complete regression of MC38.gp33 and B16.gp33 (+αPD-1) tumors, respectively (see Figure 1B and Figure 5A), n = 8 WT, n = 9 VHL-KO, n = 6 control (middle); n = 9 experimental groups, n = 5 control (right). (B) Recovered memory WT or VHL-KO P14 cell counts in animals in A were adjusted to the respective mean counts recovered in primary tumor models (see Figure 1E). (C) Weight-adjusted donor TIL and splenocyte numbers between animals receiving WT (black) and VHL-KO (red) memory cells, n = 4 VHL-KO, n = 5 WT. (D) CD69 and CD103 expression (left) and quantification (right) on recovered memory cells in C. (E) Frequency of Tcm (CD62Lhi), Tem (CD62LloCD103lo), and Trm (CD103hiCD69hiCD62Llo) phenotypes within the donor memory populations. (F) Recall function of memory cells recovered from mice bearing B16.gp33 rechallenge tumors. Representative flow cytometry (left) of IFN-γ and TNF-α coproduction by indicated memory TILs (top row) and memory splenocytes (bottom row), and quantification by frequency (top right) and weight-adjusted cell numbers (bottom right), n = 2 VHL-KO, n = 3 WT. (G) Tumor-free survival after FTY720 or vehicle and rechallenge with B16.gp33 tumor cells in mice that resisted the rechallenge tumor growth in A. RAG-KO mice were controls, n = 14 VHL-KO, n = 5 WT, n = 6 naive control, n = 5 RAG-KO. Data are representative of 2 independent (A–F) or pooled (G) experiments. Circle and square symbols in B–F indicate rechallenge with B16.gp33 and MC38.gp33, respectively, error bars represent mean ± SEM. NS, not significant, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001; (A and G) Bonferroni-corrected log-rank test, (B–D, and F) 1-way ANOVA with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, (E) Student’s t test. (*) failed to reach Bonferroni-corrected threshold although showing P < 0.05.

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