TNF plays a dual, still enigmatic role in
melanoma, either acting as a cytotoxic
cytokine or favoring a tumorigenic inflammatory microenvironment. Herein, the
tumor growth of
melanoma cell lines expressing major histocompatibility complex class I molecules at high levels (MHC-I(high)) was dramatically impaired in TNF-deficient mice, and this was associated with enhanced
tumor-infiltrating CD8(+) T lymphocytes. Immunodepletion of CD8 T cells fully restored
melanoma growth in TNF(-/-) mice. Systemic administration of
Etanercept inhibited MHC-I(high)
melanoma growth in immunocompetent but not in immunodeficient (IFNγ(-/-), nude, or CD8(-/-)) mice. MHC-I(high)
melanoma growth was also reduced in mice lacking TNF-R1, but not
TNF-R2. TNF(-/-) and TNF-R1(-/-) mice as well as
Etanercept-treated WT mice displayed enhanced intratumor content of high endothelial venules surrounded by high CD8(+) T-cell density. Adoptive transfer of activated TNF-R1-deficient or -proficient CD8(+) T cells in CD8-deficient mice bearing B16K1
tumors demonstrated that TNF-R1 deficiency facilitates the accumulation of live CD8(+) T cells into the
tumors. Moreover, in vitro experiments indicated that TNF triggered activated CD8(+) T cell death in a TNF-R1-dependent manner, likely limiting the accumulation of
tumor-infiltrating CD8(+) T cells in TNF/TNF-R1-proficient animals. Collectively, our observations indicate that TNF-R1-dependent TNF signaling impairs
tumor-infiltrating CD8(+) T-cell accumulation and may serve as a putative target to favor CD8(+) T-cell-dependent immune response in
melanoma.