Cited by 727Cancer Immunotherapy and BiomarkersT-cell and B-cell ImmunologyImmunotherapy and Immune Responses

Tumor-Specific T Cell Dysfunction Is a Dynamic Antigen-Driven Differentiation Program Initiated Early during Tumorigenesis

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Schietinger, Andrea, Philip, Mary, Krisnawan, Varintra E., Chiu, Edison Y., Delrow, Jeffrey J., Basom, Ryan S., Lauer, Peter, Brockstedt, Dirk G. +5 more·2016·Immunity

Abstract

CD8(+) T cells recognizing tumor-specific antigens are detected in cancer patients but are dysfunctional. Here we developed a tamoxifen-inducible liver cancer mouse model with a defined oncogenic driver antigen (SV40 large T-antigen) to follow the activation and differentiation of naive tumor-specific CD8(+) T (TST) cells after tumor initiation. Early during the pre-malignant phase of tumorigenesis, TST cells became dysfunctional, exhibiting phenotypic, functional, and transcriptional features similar to dysfunctional T cells isolated from late-stage human tumors. Thus, T cell dysfunction seen in advanced human cancers may already be established early during tumorigenesis. Although the TST cell dysfunctional state was initially therapeutically reversible, it ultimately evolved into a fixed state. Persistent antigen exposure rather than factors associated with the tumor microenvironment drove dysfunction. Moreover, the TST cell differentiation and dysfunction program exhibited features distinct from T cell exhaustion in chronic infections. Strategies to overcome this antigen-driven, cell-intrinsic dysfunction may be required to improve cancer immunotherapy.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.immuni.2016.07.011

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  • Adoptively transferred Tag-specific CD8+ T cells showed classic signs of exhaustion upon entering tumor-bearing livers.

    “Profiling adoptively transferred SV40 large T cell antigen (Tag+)–specific CD8+ T cells indicated that Tag+ T cells followed classic signs of exhaustion upon entry into the tumor-bearing livers (fig. S2D) (19).”

    From Bile acid synthesis impedes tumor-specific T cell responses during liver cancer (2025) · cites this paper as [19]

    In Results, “Presence and Persistence of Antigen Dictates Tumor-Specific CD8+ T Cell Dysfunction in Solid Tumors” (page unavailable), adoptively transferred Tag-specific T cells localized to tumor-containing livers, then became increasingly dysfunctional, expressing inhibitory receptors and failing to produce effector cytokines. The source describes this as a process that develops over time, not as exhaustion already present upon entry; it also distinguishes tumor-associated dysfunction from exhaustion during chronic infection. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Terminal Tex (Ttex) cells accumulate over time and respond poorly to immune checkpoint blockade therapies.

    “Conversely, terminal Tex (Ttex) cells accumulate over time and respond poorly to ICB therapies8,11–13.”

    From Proteotoxic stress response drives T cell exhaustion and immune evasion (2025) · cites this paper as [13]

    The Results section, “Tumor-Specific T Cells Ultimately Enter a Fixed State of Dysfunction” (page unavailable), reports that later-stage tumor-specific T cells resisted PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. But the Results section comparing tumor dysfunction with viral exhaustion attributes accumulation of terminally exhausted cells over time to chronic viral infection and says tumor-specific cells followed a distinct differentiation pattern. The source therefore supports the poor-response point, not the unqualified accumulation claim. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The T cell immune response to HCC antigens is reportedly dysfunctional and unreactive to HCC.

    “Indeed, the T cell immune response to HCC antigens is reportedly dysfunctional and unreactive to HCC55.”

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Authors
Schietinger, A., Philip, M., Krisnawan, V. E., Chiu, E. Y., Delrow, J. J., Basom, R. S., Lauer, P., Brockstedt, D. G., Knoblaugh, S. E., Hämmerling, G. J., Schell, T. D., Garbi, N., & Greenberg, P. D.
Affiliations
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (US)
  • University of Washington (US)
  • Fred Hutch Cancer Center (US)
  • Aduro BioTech (United States) (US)
  • German Cancer Research Center (DE)
  • Pennsylvania State University (US)
  • University of Bonn (DE)
Corresponding author
  • Schietinger, Andrea
  • Greenberg, Philip D.
Venue
Immunity
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2016-08
Volume
45
Issue
2
Pages
389-401
ISSN
1074-7613 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2514996992
Cited by
720
References
60
Citations by year
2026: 45 · 2025: 77 · 2024: 93 · 2023: 84 · 2022: 78 · 2021: 103 · 2020: 99 · 2019: 61 · 2018: 50 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 5
FWCI
25.49
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Immunity (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Cancer Institute (R00CA172371, K99CA172371, K08CA158069, R01CA033084, P30CA008748, P30CA015704)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R21AI107776)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › T-cell and B-cell Immunology
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
Keywords
tumor-specific T cells, CD8+ T cell dysfunction, carcinogenesis, SV40 large T antigen, liver cancer, T cell differentiation, T cell exhaustion, cancer immunotherapy
MeSH terms
Animals, Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming, Cell Differentiation, Cells, Cultured, Disease Models, Animal, Humans, Liver Neoplasms, Lymphocyte Activation, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Transgenic, Tamoxifen, Immunotherapy, Adoptive, Cellular Senescence, CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes, Cancer Vaccines, Mice, Tumor Microenvironment, Carcinogenesis

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