Cited by 316Cancer Immunotherapy and BiomarkersT-cell and B-cell ImmunologyImmunotherapy and Immune Responses

γδ T cells are effectors of immunotherapy in cancers with HLA class I defects

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de Vries, Natasja L., van de Haar, Joris, Veninga, Vivien, Chalabi, Myriam, Ijsselsteijn, Marieke E., van der Ploeg, Manon, van den Bulk, Jitske, Ruano, Dina +13 more·2023·Nature

Abstract

DNA mismatch repair-deficient (MMR-d) cancers present an abundance of neoantigens that is thought to explain their exceptional responsiveness to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) 1,2 . Here, in contrast to other cancer types 3–5 , we observed that 20 out of 21 (95%) MMR-d cancers with genomic inactivation of β2-microglobulin (encoded by B2M ) retained responsiveness to ICB, suggesting the involvement of immune effector cells other than CD8 + T cells in this context. We next identified a strong association between B2M inactivation and increased infiltration by γδ T cells in MMR-d cancers. These γδ T cells mainly comprised the Vδ1 and Vδ3 subsets, and expressed high levels of PD-1, other activation markers, including cytotoxic molecules, and a broad repertoire of killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors. In vitro, PD-1 + γδ T cells that were isolated from MMR-d colon cancers exhibited enhanced reactivity to human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-class-I-negative MMR-d colon cancer cell lines and B2M -knockout patient-derived tumour organoids compared with antigen-presentation-proficient cells. By comparing paired tumour samples from patients with MMR-d colon cancer that were obtained before and after dual PD-1 and CTLA-4 blockade, we found that immune checkpoint blockade substantially increased the frequency of γδ T cells in B2M-deficient cancers. Taken together, these data indicate that γδ T cells contribute to the response to immune checkpoint blockade in patients with HLA-class-I-negative MMR-d colon cancers, and underline the potential of γδ T cells in cancer immunotherapy.

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Authors
de Vries, N. L., van de Haar, J., Veninga, V., Chalabi, M., Ijsselsteijn, M. E., van der Ploeg, M., van den Bulk, J., Ruano, D., van den Berg, J. G., Haanen, J. B., Zeverijn, L. J., Geurts, B. S., de Wit, G. F., Battaglia, T. W., Gelderblom, H., Verheul, H. M. W., Schumacher, T. N., Wessels, L. F. A., Koning, F., de Miranda, N. F. C. C., & Voest, E. E.
Affiliations
  • The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NL)
  • Leiden University Medical Center (NL)
  • Erasmus MC (NL)
Corresponding author
Voest, Emile E.
Venue
Nature
Published
2023-01-11
Volume
613
Issue
7945
Pages
743-750
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W4315641892
Cited by
311
References
69
Citations by year
2026: 70 · 2025: 80 · 2024: 94 · 2023: 67
FWCI
38.42
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Leiden Repository (Leiden University) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Leiden Repository (Leiden University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Research Repository (Delft University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • European Commission (HORIZON2020, 852832)
  • Universiteit Leiden
  • Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum
  • Oncode Institute
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
γδ T cells, immune checkpoint blockade, HLA class I deficiency, PD-1, killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors, colon cancer, tumor organoids, cancer immunotherapy, tumor-infiltrating immune cells
MeSH terms
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors, beta 2-Microglobulin, Brain Neoplasms, Colonic Neoplasms, Genes, MHC Class I, Humans, Immunotherapy, Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary, Organoids, T-Lymphocytes, Colorectal Neoplasms, Histocompatibility Antigens Class I, Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta, Antigen Presentation, Cell Line, Tumor, DNA Mismatch Repair, Receptors, KIR, CTLA-4 Antigen, Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor

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